House GOP leaders are full steam ahead on bringing final appropriations bills to the floor by next Friday’s deadline, telling their members on a conference call late Friday that they expect to be able to take some wins back to constituents while avoiding a partial government shutdown.
Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leaders had discussed the possibility of not coming back to Washington next week, at least until there is a spending deal to put on the floor, according to sources familiar with the planning. Members would have been on call to return to the Capitol with 24 hours’ notice before any votes were scheduled on an agreement negotiated between leaders in both chambers.
But the mere possibility that the House wouldn’t return next week raised more questions about lawmakers’ ability to avoid a partial government shutdown starting March 2, after next week’s deadline for four of the 12 annual bills. And late Friday, GOP leaders confirmed the original plan to be in session Wednesday through Friday when Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., put out his weekly schedule.
