GOP Leaders Eye New Stopgap Spending Measure to End Shutdown

Republican leaders are making plans for a new, longer continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government at current levels as the government shutdown drags into its fourth week.

Consensus is growing that the GOP-crafted “clean” CR to fund the government through Nov. 21 — which passed the House in September but has been voted down 11 times in the Senate as Democrats make demands on health care — will no longer allow enough time to work out regular full-year appropriations. But the timeline of the new measure is the subject of debate. Several options are under consideration, multiple GOP leadership sources tell The Hill, including one lasting until late January. One of those sources said that date seems to have the most support right now, while stressing the plans are in flux. A full-year CR through at least Sept. 30 — the end of the fiscal year — has also been discussed.