House Republicans are currently preparing a stopgap spending measure to avoid a potential government budget shutdown. With their return from the summer recess, they only have 12 legislative days left before the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
On a conference call with members, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, proposed the idea of a continuing resolution. According to Politico, McCarthy informed lawmakers that this stopgap measure would ensure government funding continues until early December.
Passing a continuing resolution could alleviate pressure on lawmakers to pass spending measures before the September funding deadline. However, it intensifies the urgency to find common ground on the various spending bills, as failure to do so could trigger an automatic 1% reduction in spending across the board under the debt-ceiling deal.
If spending measures are not advanced by January, this cut would be implemented.
Internal disputes over spending have slowed down the House's progress in advancing a dozen bills to fund the government. The House Freedom Caucus, consisting of approximately 40 members, has expressed a lack of concern about a government shutdown. They have urged McCarthy to include deeper cuts to the 2022 spending levels.
Considering McCarthy's narrow five-vote majority, any revolt from the Freedom Caucus against a continuing resolution could pose challenges for efforts to avoid a shutdown.
Out of the twelve federal spending bills, the House has only managed to pass one so far. The approved spending measure allocates $317 billion for military construction projects, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other relevant agencies.
McCarthy has informed lawmakers about plans to bring more spending bills to the House floor upon Congress's return, although he did not specify which bills.