Government shutdown 2023: House GOP race against the clock to avoid looming shutdown
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House Republicans are hoping to pass a funding package ahead of the next government shutdown deadline on 17 November.
Speaker Mike Johnson released his plan on Saturday to avoid a partial shutdown and to extend funding for a number of agencies and programmes until 19 January and continue the funding for other government areas until 2 February.
The two-step plan is novel for a stopgap funding bill – legislators usually extend funding for all programmes at the same time and until the same date.
Mr Johnson is attempting to sidestep rebukes from some Republicans who have expressed dismay at the possibility of having to vote on a massive spending bill just before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
In a statement, Mr Johnson said: “This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories.”
“The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess,” he added.
VIDEO: Government shutdown deadline nears once again
Government shutdown deadline nears once again
Gustaf Kilander13 November 2023 18:00
Bill excludes funding requested by Biden for Israel, Ukraine, and US border
The bill excludes funding requested by President Joe Biden for Israel, Ukraine and the U.S. border with Mexico. Johnson said separating Biden’s request for an emergency supplemental bill from the temporary, stopgap measure “places our conference in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our Southern border.”
Hardline conservatives, usually loathe to support temporary spending measures of any sort, had indicated they would give Johnson some leeway to pass legislation, known as a continuing resolution, or CR, to give Congress more time to negotiate a long-term agreement.
