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Congress Averts Government Shutdown with Last-Minute Spending Bill

  In a dramatic turn of events, Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown by passing a crucial spending bill late Friday night. The bill, which extends government funding until mid-March, was approved by the House with a vote of 366 to 34 and later passed by the Senate. This legislation provides $110 billion in relief for natural disaster survivors and aid to farmers, while also extending the farm bill. However, the bill notably excludes President-elect Donald Trump's demand to raise the debt ceiling. Instead, Republicans are considering a handshake deal to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion early next year and reduce future government spending by $2.5 trillion. This compromise does not have the force of law and will be revisited in the coming months. The spending package also left out key Democratic priorities, such as funding for pediatric cancer research. Despite these omissions, the bill's passage was seen as a significant achievement for House Speaker Mike Johnson...
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Canada Pauses Private Refugee Sponsorship Applications Until 2026


The Canadian government has announced a temporary pause on private refugee sponsorship applications from groups of five or more people and community organizations. This measure, effective immediately, will last until December 31, 2025. The decision aims to address the growing backlog of applications and improve processing times for both refugees and sponsors.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stated that the number of applications received annually far exceeds the available spaces for private refugee sponsorships. The government has set a target of admitting 23,000 privately sponsored refugees in its 2025-27 immigration plan, while the total refugee target for next year is just over 58,000 people. As of the end of October, there are over 85,000 pending refugee claims.

IRCC recognizes that this measure will impact the refugee sponsorship community and has pledged to work closely with partners and stakeholders to adjust to these changes and explore long-term improvements to the program. The pause will allow the system to catch up with the existing workload and ensure a more efficient and predictable refugee sponsorship process in the future.

For more information, visit the [IRCC website](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/temporary-pause-intake-refugee-sponsorship-applications-groups-five-community-sponsors.html).







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