GOP Rallies Behind Hegseth Amidst Growing Support and Criticism

Congressional leaders are negotiating a disaster aid package to attach to a stopgap spending bill before federal funding expires next week. The White House requested over $98 billion for disaster recovery, but lawmakers are debating the specifics, with some Republicans criticizing extraneous funding. The stopgap is expected to extend into March, with bipartisan efforts to finalize the bill before the December 20 deadline to avoid a government shutdown.