House GOP leaders are close to finalizing a government funding extension that would avert a shutdown through Nov. 20 and potentially include more money for lawmaker security in the wake of the Charlie Kirk killing.
Republican leaders want to put the bill on the House floor this week, as a Sept. 30 shutdown deadline looms. POLITICO previously reported the bill would likely extend funding through Nov. 20, the week before Thanksgiving.
The member security funding is of huge importance to many on Capitol Hill amid heightened threats on lawmakers. It’s the final item to sort out, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss the private negotiations.
Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday on Fox News that all options were on the table for lawmaker security efforts. He has pledged to speed up a review of an expiring pilot program to provide individual lawmakers with more safety resources.
Republicans are preparing to push through the measure amid protests from Democrats. Democratic leaders have signaled they will oppose a funding punt that doesn’t include health care policy items like extending enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Johnson said Democrats were “currently playing games” on funding. He added that Congress “may need a short-gap funding measure, a CR, for a short period of time to allow the [bipartisan funding] negotiations to continue.”
“But it will be clean in its scope,” Johnson said, adding, “I surely hope the Democrats will not try to make this a big, partisan fight.”
There’s practically no chance the funding extension will include Sen. Lindsey Graham’s bipartisan Russia sanctions bill without the explicit and public backing of President Donald Trump, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the views of GOP leadership. Top House Republicans feel that is unlikely to happen in time, after Trump just publicly pushed his own conditions for sanctions.
