The Senate expects to pass a short-term funding bill ahead of the late Friday deadline to keep the government open, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday.
McConnell tweet: We expect to pass a short-term funding bill before Fri's deadline so a final draft can be shared w members prior to consideration next week
Earlier on the Senate floor, he said he expected the chamber would pass the one-week funding bill introduced in the House on Wednesday. He added that lawmakers will pass the extension so they can see a final draft of a funding measure before they consider it next week.
On Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said that "under any circumstances" keeping the government open will require a short-term extension. He accused Democrats of "dragging their feet" on reaching a deal.
Congress is scrambling to reach a deal to avert a government shutdown as new possible points of contention emerge. House Democratic Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer on Thursday said he would oppose a temporary funding measure — and encourage his caucus to do so — if House Republicans bring their amended Obamacare replacement plan to the floor by Saturday.
"If Republicans pursue this partisan path of forcing Americans to pay more for less and destabilizing our [country's] health care system — without even knowing how much their bill will cost — Republicans should be prepared to pass a one-week Continuing Resolution on their own," he said in a statement.
However, Ryan later signaled that he would not seek a vote this week.
President Donald Trump had also threatened to hold up negotiations on keeping the government
The Trump administration previously stopped insisting on funding for a wall on the southern border as part of a bill to keep the government funded.
Still, Trump could potentially disrupt a bipartisan consensus on sending Medicaid dollars to Puerto Rico as a condition of keeping the government open, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Trump has accused Democrats of seeking a shutdown, something Hoyer disputed in a CNBC interview Thursday.
