Instead, House Speaker Mike Johnson was due to present at least
three options for a stopgap known as a continuing resolution, or
"CR," to lawmakers at a closed-door Republican conference on
Tuesday morning, the lawmakers said.
Funding for government operations is due to expire on Nov. 17
unless Congress agrees on a temporary spending measure that
President Joe Biden can sign into law before the deadline.
Otherwise, federal agencies will have to close their doors for
an indefinite period.
But with this week already shortened by a Veterans Day
observance on Friday, three Republican lawmakers who spoke on
condition of anonymity said the House was unlikely to approve a
CR this week. One lawmaker said a Republican policy of waiting
three days before voting on legislation left little time to act
this week.
House Republicans are due to focus the agenda for the week on
passing their own partisan appropriations bills for 2024.
Another lawmaker said Republicans are considering at least three
options for structuring a CR, including a "laddered" option that
would assign separate deadlines in December and January by which
time the House and Senate would hammer out compromise
legislation on specific 2024 appropriations bills. Details were
uncertain.
Republicans will also consider a more conventional CR that would
run to a Jan. 19, leaving December for lawmakers to work on
appropriations bills and supplemental funding requests including
Israel, Ukraine and other priorities.
The lawmaker said a third option would be to negotiate with the
Democratic-led Senate on a CR that can pass both chambers
quickly.
The House has passed seven of 12 appropriations bills for 2024
and will try to pass another two this week, aimed at funding
transportation, housing and urban development; and financial
services. The Senate has passed three appropriations bills in a
package known as a minibus.
While the Senate legislation enjoys strong bipartisan support,
the House has passed only partisan Republican measures opposed
by Democrats.
Only one category of appropriations legislation, covering
military construction and veterans benefits, has passed both
chambers in markedly different forms.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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