3:15 p.m. ET, November 14, 2023
The House is expected to soon vote on a bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown. Keep up to date with the latest here
By Clare Foran and Haley Talbot of CNN
The House is expected to vote soon for adopt an interim bill to keep the government open, put Congress on track to avoid a shutdown, and set the stage for a broader funding fight in the new year.
If the House passes the bill, the Senate would then have to approve the measure. Government funding currently expires at the end of the week, Friday November 17.
In the first major test of his leadership, newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson is pursuing an unusual two-step plan that would set two new shutdown deadlines in January and February.
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What the bill would do: The bill would extend funding until Jan. 19 for priorities including military construction, veterans affairs, transportation, housing and the Department of Energy. The rest of the government – everything not covered by stage one – would be funded until February 2. The proposal does not include additional aid for Israel or Ukraine.
The plan would give lawmakers more time to try to negotiate and pass spending bills for the entire year, although significant partisan divisions would make that effort cumbersome and complicated. Johnson argued that his plan would prevent Congress from passing a massive spending bill in December — a scenario that has already played out several times when lawmakers faced a deadline just before the holiday break. winter.
Freedom Caucus opposes Johnson’s plan: The short-term funding plan has already drawn backlash from some conservatives, a dynamic that will force House Republican leaders to look to Democrats for votes to pass it, with the Republican Party not holding only a slim majority in the House.
The House Freedom Caucus, a conservative group of about 30 hard-liners, took an official position against Johnson’s two-part government funding plan. This comes after Johnson met with the group last night, hoping to allay their concerns about the bill, according to a close source.
A number of conservatives oppose the interim bill because it would not implement the significant spending cuts they have demanded. Instead, it would extend funding at current levels. As a result, it will need significant Democratic support to pass the House.
Republican leaders are introducing the bill to the House through a procedure known as suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass.
CNN’s Kristin Wilson, Annie Grayer and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.