Budget deal in works, Womack says

SPRINGDALE -- Congress likely will pass a budget deal to keep the federal government operating past the November election, Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., said Monday.

Congress must pass spending bills no later than Sept. 30, when the federal fiscal year ends, to prevent a partial government shutdown.

Womack said House leadership is working on a continuing resolution to keep the government operating, which will be considered after members return next week. He spoke Monday to the Springdale Rotary Club.

Congress should address other serious issues, such as the outbreak of the Zika virus in the southern United States, he said. But divisive issues could threaten approval of a continuing resolution, he said.

"Last year it was Confederate flags, and this year it could be transgender bathrooms," Womack said.

Tyler Clark, chairman of the Washington County Democratic Party, said Womack is probably right and that the situation is unfortunate.

"A continuing resolution during the term of a lame duck president by a lame duck Congress doesn't do anybody any good," Clark said. President Barack Obama is not eligible for re-election.

"But that's the world we live in now, and that's what we're probably going to do, whoever it might hurt," Clark said. "It's disappointing."

Congressional leadership is working on a resolution that will pay the government's bills through mid-December, Womack said in an interview after his speech. Zika and flood relief for Louisiana are also high on Congress' priority list, he said.

In his speech, Womack also addressed the coming election. Republicans failed to get behind their presidential nominee in 2012 and are still divided, he said.

"If the stars all align, we could have a Republican president and both Houses of Congress," Womack said. "I have not seen the necessary celestial movement."

The GOP nominee for president, Donald Trump, has the support of 78 percent of Republicans, according to a Monmouth University poll released Monday. This compares with 85 percent support of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton among voters in her party. The poll, conducted between Thursday and Sunday, surveyed 802 registered voters and has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Metro on 08/30/2016

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