House Republicans Considering Two Stopgap Spending Plans

WASHINGTON — House Republicans emerged from their weekly conference meeting on Tuesday with two proposed stopgap plans vying for consensus ahead of a hard Nov. 17 deadline, when government spending approvals run out.

The first is a so-called “laddered CR” that would extend funding for some government operations until Dec. 7 and for the rest through Jan. 19.

That plan is said to be favored by the Freedom Caucus, which would also like to see some policy measures rolled into the package.

Other House Republicans want to pass something akin to a traditional continuing resolution that would simply keep the government funded straight through until January.

They argue the laddered approach, which has only been done once before, in the early 1990s, could set the chamber up for extended battles over appropriations and members threatening to shut the government down if they don’t get their way.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did not indicate which option he prefers, but attendees at the conference session said he was attentive and took notes as proponents for each made their pitches.

As for what might or might not be included from a policy perspective was also very much up in the air as Johnson left the meeting in the basement of the Capitol.

Among the items discussed were various provisions of the $106 billion supplemental spending request President Joe Biden sent to Congress to aid Israel and Ukraine and beef up the southwest border.

Also in the mix is an additional $56 billion the president is seeking for domestic programs including child care and the ongoing broadband rollout, as well as disaster relief.

Another, emerging from the conference itself, was a provision creating a commission to rein in the federal government’s debt.

“I’m not going to tell you what the CR will entail yet, but I will tell you that we are urging consistently and very appropriately to get Israel done,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “It’s an urgent necessity.”

For those wondering why funding for Israel is still in play, since the House passed a $14.5 billion military aid package just last week, the answer is simple: House Republicans included a drastic cut to funding for the Internal Revenue Service that many in the Senate just won’t abide.

As previously reported by The Well News, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate would not even take it up. 

Johnson, who always walks briskly through the Capitol, told reporters waiting for him only that he would be revealing which continuing resolution the conference will attempt to move “in short order.”

Also still unclear is what will happen after a continuing resolution of some kind is passed.

Some Republicans want to begin conferencing on the few spending measures that have already been passed by both chambers. However, others want to prioritize Defense funding.

While all this is going on, the Senate appears to be headed toward an agreement on a continuing resolution that would keep the government funded through Dec. 8. Several Republican senators, however, have indicated they won’t sign on unless the measure includes tougher U.S. border restrictions.

Schumer has called that ask a “nonstarter” but has suggested he’s open to bipartisan negotiations over the resolution.

In other news, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., announced the 2024 legislative calendar for the second session of the 118th Congress. 

The calendar, in a few different formats, can be downloaded here.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue