Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday said he is not in favor of a stopgap measure that would fund the government until December, preferring a January timeframe.
The stopgap measure that passed the House in September and has failed to advance in the Senate funds the government at current levels through Nov. 21. With that date rapidly approaching, lawmakers have been discussing a new end date for the stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR).
“A lot of people around here have PTSD about Christmas omnibus spending bills. We don’t want to do that,” Johnson said at a Tuesday press briefing. “It gets too close, and we don’t want to have that risk.”
Johnson said a stopgap measure lasting into January “makes sense,” but that he’s got to build consensus around that date.
“There’s some discussion about it. We’ll see where it lands,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is also considering a January date.
“The longer runway is better,” he told reporters Monday.
But Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said she was in favor of a stopgap measure that would fund the government through Dec. 19.
Democrats have said they won’t help reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year.
Thune said he was “optimistic” there could be a deal to reopen the government by the end of the week. The GOP leader pointed to Tuesday’s elections as a key hurdle to move past, but believes that a deal is possible afterward.
Johnson said that if the Senate passes a new stopgap measure, the House will come back to session.
Al Weaver and Alexander Bolton contributed.
