House Republican leaders are planning a Thursday vote on a "clean" continuing resolution that would fund the government through Nov. 27, setting up a procedural timeline in the Senate that could determine whether Congress averts a funding lapse at the end of the month.
Senior House Republican sources told Fox News they are working to keep the GOP conference intact; Republicans can lose only two votes if they try to pass the measure on their own. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he was confident Democrats could hold together and oppose the bill, and he said Democratic leaders planned to make unity a focus at a caucus meeting Thursday.
The House vote could slip to Friday, sources cautioned, and a later vote would push subsequent Senate action further into the weekend. If the House approves the continuing resolution on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., could file cloture the same day to set up a procedural test vote on Saturday. Senate rules require an intervening day after a cloture filing before the Senate may take the cloture vote, meaning a Thursday House passage creates a Friday gap that allows a Saturday test. If the House votes on Friday, the earliest corresponding Senate procedural vote would be Sunday.
Senate Republicans have 53 votes, making the path to 60 votes for cloture difficult unless some Democrats join. One Senate GOP source said the chamber could remain in session through Rosh Hashanah to handle the procedural steps if necessary; party officials also cited the looming religious and congressional recess as a factor compressing the timeline. Government funding currently runs through 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 30.
Several Senate Republicans have personal scheduling conflicts that could affect attendance if votes move into the weekend. Multiple senators have indicated plans to attend the funeral of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday in Arizona, and that personal travel could complicate efforts to reach the 60-vote threshold on short notice.
Democrats signaled they would press for policy concessions in exchange for supporting a short-term funding measure, with sources saying Democratic leaders are likely to demand items such as a renewal of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Republicans have sought to frame the looming lapse as the result of Democratic bargaining positions, while Democrats say they will not automatically rubber-stamp a GOP-only stopgap without negotiations on priorities.
If the House passes a clean continuing resolution, the Senate would still need to clear two procedural hurdles that require 60 votes: a cloture motion to cut off debate and a separate cloture vote later in the process, depending on the amendment and debate schedule. That dual-cloture scenario, coupled with the chamber's thin Republican margin and the scheduled recess, drives the urgency among GOP leaders to finish the House step as early as possible.
House Republican leaders have been consulting "the usual suspects" to gauge support, according to senior House sources, while acknowledging the risk that defections could sink the measure. A failure in the House would increase pressure on both parties and raise the prospect of a midweek scramble in the final days before funding expires.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other top House conservatives have emphasized the need to avoid a shutdown while preserving GOP negotiating leverage, a balancing act that has produced internal debate about whether to attach policy riders or keep the bill clean. If the House does not act until Friday, or if the Senate cannot cobble together 60 votes in time, Congressional leaders could be forced into an emergency weekend session or extend the standoff into the post-recess calendar.
The coming 48 to 72 hours are likely to be decisive. Lawmakers return briefly before the scheduled Rosh Hashanah recess, and both parties face competing imperatives: Republicans want to minimize concessions and blame Democrats for any lapse, while Democrats are seeking policy wins in exchange for their support. Additional negotiations, potential amendments, and the availability of senators for weekend votes will determine whether Congress reaches an agreement that keeps the government funded through late November.
Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reported that the House schedule could still shift, and senior lawmakers on both sides said they expect more dramatic bargaining in the days ahead as the Sept. 30 deadline approaches.