"Congress doesn't have a deal for averting a federal shutdown later this week that could send thousands of Interior Department and EPA workers home early for the holidays.

Lawmakers are seeking to finalize a year-end spending package that would cover the remaining seven fiscal 2019 funding bills, which include EPA-Interior and Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations.

Existing funding runs out Friday, and without new money in place by then many agencies would be forced to shut down and furlough workers beginning Saturday."

George Cahlink, Geof Koss, and Nick Sobczyk report for E&E Daily December 17, 2018. [2]