Biden doesn’t think weekend federal shutdown will happen

By KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders reached agreement on a spending bill that would keep the government running through mid-February. But a temporary federal shutdown is still possible this weekend because some Republican senators are objecting to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The House is expected to take up the legislation later Thursday. The Senate also would have to act before a midnight Friday deadline to avoid a weekend shutdown. President Joe Biden says he’s spoken with Senate leaders and he’s playing down fears of a shutdown. Biden says there’s “a plan in place unless somebody decides to be totally erratic, and I don’t think that will happen.”