Democratic appropriators say Republicans have left US government funding talks, raising risk of shutdown

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top Democrats on the U.S. Congressional appropriations committees said on Friday that Republicans have abandoned bipartisan government funding talks and raised the risk of a government shutdown by insisting on including 'DOGE' funding cuts in the bill.

Senator Patty Murray of Washington and Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the ranking members of their chambers' appropriations committees, said in a statement that Republicans wanted to pass a full-year continuing resolution that would enshrine funding cuts made by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency ('DOGE') into law, a proposal Democrats have rejected.

Lawmakers face a March 14 deadline to pass a bill to fund the government, or risk a government shutdown.

"It’s incredibly disappointing that Republican leadership is walking away from bipartisan negotiations to fund the government," the statement said. "Republican leadership’s plan to pass a full-year continuing resolution with Musk’s devastating ‘DOGE cuts’ would give Trump new flexibility to spend funding as he sees fit."

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter, Editing by William Maclean)