Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are working on a stopgap spending measure to prevent a partial government shutdown when current funding expires next week. House Speaker Mike Johnson has been engaged in discussions with members of his slim Republican majority to determine the best course of action. However, the details of the measure and its form are still uncertain.

The House, controlled by Republicans, and the Democratic-led Senate must come to an agreement on a bill that President Joe Biden will sign into law before November 17th. Some Republicans are advocating for a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) that would extend funding until mid-January without any spending cuts or conservative policy riders that Democrats oppose. On the other hand, hardline conservatives are pushing for a measure that includes spending cuts, stricter border security, and an unconventional structure with staggered deadlines for different parts of the federal budget.

Lawmakers are warning that a prolonged partisan battle over the stopgap measure could lead to a government shutdown. While House Republicans debate their options, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has taken a preliminary procedural step to advance his own stopgap measure.

Schumer's move is significant as disputes within the Republican majority in the House have prevented them from voting on a stopgap funding bill, known as a continuing resolution. If House Republicans fail to initiate the process on time, Senate Democrats could pass their own bill, which would then require approval from the House. This could potentially avert the fourth partial government shutdown in a decade.

The context surrounding this situation reveals that Congress has yet to pass the 12 appropriations bills required to fund the government through September 30th. A temporary funding bill was passed at the end of September to buy more time, but infighting within the House Republican majority led to delays. The parties also disagree on the topline 2024 spending figure, with President Biden and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy initially agreeing on a $1.59 trillion discretionary spending budget, but some hardline Republicans pushing for an additional $120 billion in cuts. The United States recorded a significant deficit of nearly $1.7 trillion in its most recent fiscal year, largely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moving forward, negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in both chambers will continue in an effort to find a solution before the November 17th deadline and avoid a government shutdown.

In the House of Representatives, another spending bill for 2024 was delayed on Thursday, exacerbating the challenges faced by the slim Republican majority. Disagreements over spending levels and cultural policies have resulted in a stagnated legislative process just days before a potential government shutdown. Last week, Speaker Mike Johnson withdrew an appropriations bill covering transportation, housing, and urban development from consideration. Now, a vote on a financial services spending bill has been canceled due to opposition from centrist Republicans who object to an abortion restriction.

The House Republican majority has been plagued by internal conflicts since January, and this internal strife may impede Johnson's aspirations of passing a stopgap spending measure to ensure the continued operation of federal agencies beyond November.

Johnson is expected to present a continuing resolution (CR) in the coming days, with a tentative House vote scheduled for Tuesday. However, rival factions within the Republican party are advocating for different options, adding further complexity to the decision-making process.

As the deadline approaches, both Republicans and Democrats from both chambers will continue negotiations in the hope of finding a viable solution to avert a government shutdown.