Congressional leaders are working on a stopgap bill to prevent a partial government shutdown next week. The temporary measure would extend funding for some federal agencies until March 1, while the remainder of government operations would be extended until March 8. This information comes from an anonymous source familiar with the situation. The bill is expected to be released on Sunday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, has been facing pressure from the hard-right members of his party to abandon a recent bipartisan spending deal with Senate Democrats. However, Johnson has stated that he is sticking with the deal he made with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York. Moderates within the party have urged Johnson to stay the course. This is Johnson's first major test as the new leader, and it remains to be seen how he will handle the revolt from his right flank.

The budget accord reached on January 7 sets $1.66 trillion in spending for the next fiscal year, with $886 billion allocated to defense. Some hard-right members have criticized the deal and have even threatened to oust Johnson over it. They are also insisting that new immigration policies be included in the bill to address the flow of migrants at the U.S-Mexico border.

Johnson met with about two dozen House Republicans, many of whom are centrist-leaning, who urged him to stick with the deal and assured him of their support. Representative French Hill, a Republican from Arkansas, said, "I just can't imagine the House wants to relive the madness." Hill had helped negotiate the initial agreement with Biden and other leaders.

Several media outlets have reported on the agreement to keep the government open. The centrists within the Republican Party have assured Johnson of their support. The continuing resolution would fund the government through March 1 and March 8. This would be the third short-term spending deal reached by Congress since September.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced his plans to move forward with a short-term funding measure to avert a government shutdown. Schumer acknowledged that more time is needed to finish the appropriations process and that a shutdown would be chaotic. He warned that some lawmakers actually believe a shutdown would be a good thing. Schumer emphasized the need for compromise in a divided government.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had previously stated that he would not support any additional short-term funding measures. However, he has left the possibility open for a continuing resolution. Johnson's decision could be politically risky, as his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, was removed from the speaker's office after working with Democrats to approve a stopgap measure, which angered conservatives within the party.