The US Congress has been at a standstill for two weeks
The bill to fund government will go to the House floor late Tuesday afternoon AFP

The House of Representatives will vote late Tuesday afternoon the proposal to prevent a government shutdown as soon as Saturday. The plan seems to have support of some Republicans and Democrats.

The so-called "laddered continuing resolution," championed by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, funds some federal agencies through late January and others through early February.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson, pictured on Capitol Hill on November 14, 2023, is banking on lawmakers' impatience with recent chaos in the lower chamber
House Speaker Mike Johnson AFP

"I believe there will be bipartisan agreement," Johnson told reporters in Washington on Tuesday morning.

The proposal needs the support of two thirds of the House representatives to pass.

Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis, of New York, said she will vote in favor of the CR to keep the government open.

"It's the responsible thing to do," Malliotakis told CNN in an interview. "I don't think there's really much appetite here from Republicans or Democrats to see a shutdown right before the holiday season."

Risks to air travel

A government shutdown could cause disruption in travel just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday as air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Officers will have to show up to their jobs without getting paid.

Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat of Washington state, said the bill proposed by Speaker Johnson is a "big win" because it keeps government spending at the level of fiscal year 2023 and doesn't include poison pills. Jayapal said she would meet with her caucus to discuss a position.

The House Freedom Caucus, a group of far-right Republicans, announced opposition to the CR that will be taken to the floor as it "contains no spending reductions, no border security, and not a single meaningful win for the American People," according to a statement.

Freedom Caucus statement

"I'm not concerned," Johnson told reporters Tuesday when asked whether the approval of the current proposal could put his job at risk.

Legislative activity in the House was essentially paralyzed from Oct. 3, when Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the speaker position. He angered members of his own party by working on a bipartisan stopgap measure that averted a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Republicans finally reached a consensus to elect Johnson to the speaker post on Oct. 25.

House of Representatives