House Republicans are preparing another short-term spending bill
House Republicans are preparing for another short-term funding bill that would keep the government funded into next month and prevent a government shutdown this week.
A GOP aide close to the discussions said that the continuing resolution (CR) would likely keep the government funded through mid-February.
Congress must pass a new government funding bill by Friday or the government will shut down on Saturday. Since last fall, lawmakers have passed a number of CRs to buy more time for negotiations over a potential budget deal to lift spending caps, on a 2018 government funding package and on an immigration deal.
Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, had admitted last week that another CR would likely be needed in order for appropriators to craft a comprehensive spending package that would likely keep the government funded through at least the end of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.
Democrats have wanted to tie a plan to government funding that would protect so-called "Dreamers," making permanent the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that President Trump ended last fall. Ryan, however, dismissed the idea of tying an immigration deal to government funding legislation and he said he doubted that there would be a government shutdown.
"No,I don't think there will be," he said.
House Republicans are expected to huddle behind closed doors Tuesday evening about their strategy on immigration and government funding.
Any funding legislation would need the support of Democrats since such measures require 60 votes in the Senate, and Republicans only have 51 members while Democrats have 49 now.
