Friday: Spending bill, Chinese president

by Jordain Carney - 09/25/15 8:44 AM ET

House lawmakers will huddle Friday morning as they try to figure out a path forward to fund the government and avoid a potential shutdown.

Top House Republicans are hoping to convince conservatives to use a fast-track process known as reconciliation to try to defund Planned Parenthood. A senior House GOP aide told The Hill on Thursday that they would begin immediately drafting the bill.

{mosads}But House lawmakers would still have to pass the Senate’s short-term spending bill that includes money for Planned Parenthood before the Oct. 1 deadline to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.

That could get backlash from conservative lawmakers in the House, who have pledged to not support a government spending bill unless it defunds the organization.

The House is also expected to finish its work on legislation that would set hard deadlines on environmental reviews that could delay construction projects. Votes in the House are expected between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, the Senate will convene at 10:30 a.m.

No votes are expected in the Senate until Monday at 5:30 p.m., when lawmakers will take a procedural vote on a short-term spending bill. They’ll need to get 60 votes to move forward, paving the way for it to be sent to the House early next week.

Senate leadership is also expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday at the Capitol as part of his trip to Washington.

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