The House will vote this week on a three-month stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government open until Dec. 20, Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday.
If the measure goes into effect, the government would avoid a shutdown that would begin early next month without congressional action.
In a letter to colleagues, Johnson, R-La., said “the legislation will be a very narrow, bare CR, including only absolutely necessary extensions.”
“While this is not the preferred solution for any of us, it is the most prudent way forward under the current circumstances,” he said. “As history teaches and the current poll confirms, shutting down the government less than 40 days before a fateful election would be a political misstep.”
Congress has more than a week to pass a short-term funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, or CR. government shutdown October 1 at 12:01 p.m. If the House passes the bill, it will move to the Senate.
Johnson’s proposed plan does not include any part of the SAVE Act that requires proof of citizenship to register to vote. Johnson previously tried to link the act to a six-month resolution, but The house was rejected plan last week.
draft law Includes an additional $231 million for the Secret Service “for operations necessary to conduct protective operations, including the 2024 Presidential Campaign and National Special Security measures.” It requires the Secret Service director to submit a spending plan to the House and Senate appropriations committees.
The Rules Committee is scheduled to consider the CR at its Monday afternoon meeting. The bill is expected to be heard in the House on Tuesday, according to a House Republican leadership aide.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for the White House Office of Management and Budget said, “The Administration is urging swift passage of the bipartisan measure.”
“This short-term CR will keep the government open and give Congress more time to complete full-year funding projects that provide for our national defense, veterans, seniors, children and working families, and address urgent needs for the American people, including communities and disaster recovery,” – the spokesman continued.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement that while he was “pleased” with the outcome of the bipartisan talks, he criticized Johnson’s handling of the situation.
“While I am pleased that bipartisan negotiations have led to a government funding deal in the short term without cuts and toxic drugs, the same deal could have been made two weeks ago,” Schumer said in a statement. “Instead, Speaker Johnson chose to go the MAGA route and wasted valuable time.”
Earlier Sunday, Schumer told reporters there was a “really good chance” the government would not be shut down at the end of the month.
“We have really good news right now: We have a really good chance to avoid a government shutdown this week with all the pain it will cause for New York and for America,” Schumer said.
House Republicans last week they voted for their plans Averting a shutdown, dealing an embarrassing blow to Johnson and jeopardizing efforts to fund the government for six months.
With the presidential election less than 50 days away, the debate over keeping the government open is especially intense right now.
On Sunday, Schumer said he was “closer” to a deal with Johnson.
“I’m ready to sit down and I’ve been sitting down for the last four days with Speaker Johnson and his staff and my staff and we’re getting closer to an agreement,” Schumer told reporters.
“We can do it, but we can’t have any delay,” he said, adding, “If I don’t get my way, we can’t have any people on either side of the aisle, Democrats or Republicans, standing up and saying, ‘I’m going to shut down the government.'” We can’t have that. There are huge consequences for the American people.”
Schumer’s comments come after he called Johnson’s previous strategy of passing both CR and the SAVE Act “unworkable” and encouraged him to abandon it in a speech last Tuesday.
Johnson has struggled over the past few weeks to get his caucus to agree on a spending plan, especially after former President Donald Trump called on Republicans to shut down the government if they failed to close a bill on the SAVE Act, a ballot measure. and elections.
“If House and Senate Republicans don’t get absolute assurances about Election Security, THEY MUST MAKE A CONTINUING BUDGET DECISION. … SHUT IT UP!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social social network earlier this month.
Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized the idea of a government shutdown, especially so close to an election.
“It would be beyond politically stupid for us to do this before the election, because obviously we’re taking the blame,” McConnell said, adding: “We’ve been here before. I’m in favor of anything that prevents a government shutdown, and that’s obviously the Democratic leader. and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on how to avoid a government shutdown.