House Republicans Aim to Push Through Short-Term Funding Bill to Avoid Shutdown Before Month’s End

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Full Story

House Republican leaders want to pass a stopgap funding bill this week that would keep the government funded until November 20, GOP sources told The Hill. They are moving urgently because there is a shutdown deadline at the end of the month. The plan is a form of continuing resolution to maintain operations until that date. There is tension over what must be included in the bill.

A continuing resolution (CR) is a temporary federal funding measure used when Congress has not passed all annual appropriation bills by the start of the fiscal year, which begins October 1. Without a CR or final appropriations, parts of government operations risk being shut down. (Government Accountability Office)

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The Context

GOP leaders favor extending funding through Nov. 20, giving roughly seven weeks past the September 30 deadline. That interval is intended to allow more time for negotiating full-year spending bills. (semafor.com)

Democrats are pushing back because they want health care-related policy items included—such as restoring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act or reversing recent Medicaid cuts. GOP leaders, by contrast, prefer a “clean” CR that maintains current spending without additional policy riders. (Politico)

The Republican proposal may also include funding for member security in response to concerns about threats to lawmakers, which has become a point of negotiation. Speaker of the House has signaled interest in providing funding for enhanced security measures. (Politico)

Democrats have warned that without inclusion of health care policy, they cannot support the stopgap. They view the exclusion of those demands as a political decision. (semafor.com)

Some Republicans see the clean CR as a way to preserve leverage in spending debates and to avoid concessions. Others worry that leaving out policy items may lead to deadlock or even increase the chance of shutdown if the Senate or President rejects the proposal.

The risk of a shutdown looms because regular appropriations bills must normally be passed by Congress by the start of the fiscal year (October 1), or agencies lack funding. CRs are the usual fallback. (Bipartisan Policy Center)