Washington: The US Congress took steps to extend until May 5 the deadline for reaching a deal on federal spending through September and head off a feared government shutdown at midnight on Friday.
Republicans introduced a bill on Wednesday to fund government operations at current levels for one more week, giving them more time to finish negotiations with Democrats on a spending plan for the rest of the fiscal year ending September 30.
The last government shutdown, in 2013, lasted for 17 days, and many lawmakers were nervous about the prospect of another.
"I'm confident we will be able to pass a short-term extension" of funding for programs for the fiscal year that began nearly seven months ago, House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen expressed optimism in a statement that a final funding package will be completed soon.
"As families prepare for summer vacations in our National Parks - Democrats threaten to close them and shut down the government. Terrible!," Trump tweeted, along with a series of other tweets.
Negotiators were racing against the clock to resolve remaining disputes in the massive spending bill amid talks that have already handed Democrats at least two major victories despite Republican control of Congress.
Trump, a Republican, gave in to Democratic demands that the spending bill not include money to start building the wall he wants to erect on the U.S.-Mexico border. His administration also agreed to continue funding for a major component of Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, despite vows to end the program.
It remained unclear whether Republicans would prevail in their effort to significantly increase defence spending without similar increases for other domestic programs. Trump has proposed a $30 billion spending boost for the Pentagon for the rest of this fiscal year.
Additional "riders" on other issues could also be tucked into the legislation, which must pass both the House and Senate.
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