“We have been working in good faith around the clock every single day for months and weeks, and over the last several days, quite literally around the clock to get that job done. We’re very optimistic,” Johnson told reporters after meeting with President Biden and top congressional leaders at the White House.
The positive outlook comes three days ahead of Friday’s partial government funding deadline, when four of the 12 annual spending bills are due.
Johnson has been under intense pressure from his right flank to push for a number of controversial policy additions to annual spending bills, including provisions related to the border, abortion and language that would eliminate the salaries of various Cabinet officials.
Those requests, however, have been soundly rejected by Democrats.
Democrats and Senate Republicans, meanwhile, are pressing lawmakers to work in tandem to avert a shutdown by Friday’s deadline.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters after the White House meeting “we made it clear that that means not letting any of the government appropriations bills lapse, which means you need some CRs to get that done.”
That, however, could run into trouble in the House, where conservatives are staunchly opposed to short-term funding bills and Johnson himself said last month “I think we’re done with that” when asked about the prospect of another stopgap.
Instead of a short-term stopgap bill, some conservatives are pushing for a continuing resolution for the rest of the fiscal year — through September — that would trigger a one percent cut across the board, a mechanism included in last year’s debt limit deal as a way to incentivize Congress to complete the appropriations process through regular order.
The Hill’s Mychael Schnell has more here.
