US averts government shutdown

Sen. John Thune speaks to reporters outside his office after the House approved a 45-day funding bill to keep federal agencies open on Saturday in Washington, DC.

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet wants a bipartisan commitment that the Senate will continue to support Ukraine before he allows them to quickly move to a vote to avert a government shutdown, Senate Minority Whip John Thune told CNN.

“I think that’s something that’s maybe being worked on, yeah,” he told reporters. 

He was still confident that “yes,” they would vote tonight, and he added that everything is ready to go as soon as they have this worked out with Bennet. 

He said, “I think it could be one vote. I think everything else can probably be by consent at this point.”

“It’s just them processing whatever it is his concerns are, I think, so we’re just waiting on that,” he added. 

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also confident that the lawmakers will vote soon.

Democratic senators who spoke with CNN expressed confidence that support for Ukraine will continue even though the stopgap measure does not include aid to the country for its fight against Russia.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said the US will “make sure this funding is continuous.”

“The United States has been the, kind of, the key hub of the global coalition to support Ukraine, both in military, economic, and humanitarian aid,” he told CNN’s Jim Acosta.

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed said he is “confident that we will get a vote this evening to avoid a shutdown,” even though “one significant gap is aid to Ukraine.”

Reed said today’s events have “given us even more resolve to get it clearly established that we will not abandon Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, GOP Rep. Bryan Steil told CNN that the “American people deserve to have a full-fledged debate regarding US support to Ukraine … Putting that simply into a continuing resolution, a stopgap measure, I think undermines the seriousness of the situation in Ukraine.”

Kevin McCarthy is seen at a press conference at the Capitol Building on Friday.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy put his job on the line by enlisting the help of Democrats to pass a stopgap measure aimed at averting a government shutdown Saturday.

It is now considered a question of when and not if critics within his own party will move to have the Republican removed from speakership.

McCarthy faces a tough road ahead if he is involved in a fight to keep his job: House Republicans control only a narrow majority of the chamber, a dynamic that has left McCarthy with little room to maneuver and has given hardline conservatives outsized influence to exert pressure over the speaker.

Furthermore, to win over critics and secure the gavel earlier this year, McCarthy and his allies made a series of concessions to conservatives. One major concession was to restore the ability of any one member to offer what’s known as a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair – a move that can trigger a House floor vote to oust the speaker.

What is a motion to vacate and how would it unfold?

In practical terms, a motion to vacate the chair takes the form of a resolution to remove the speaker by declaring the speakership to be vacant. It is a rarely used procedural tool – and no House speaker has ever been ousted through the passage of a resolution to remove them. But threats over its use can be a powerful way to apply pressure to a speaker.

While any member can file a House resolution to remove the speaker, filing the resolution does not force a vote on its own. 

In order to force a vote, a member would need to come to the House floor and announce their intent to offer the resolution to remove the speaker. Doing that would then require the speaker to put the resolution on the legislative schedule within two legislative days — setting up a showdown on the floor over the issue.

How many votes are needed?

A vote on the resolution to remove the speaker would require a majority vote to succeed and oust the speaker from their leadership post.

What happens if the motion succeeds?

The speaker is required to submit a confidential list to the Clerk of people “in the order in which each shall act as Speaker pro tempore in the case of a vacancy,” according to the reference guide “House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House.”

In the event that McCarthy is no longer speaker, the number one name on the list will become interim speaker and the House will begin an election for a new speaker. In that case, the House will have to vote as many times as it takes to get someone to 218 votes, or a majority of those present and voting for a speaker.

Read more about the motion to vacate here.

Sen. Michael Bennet speaks on a cellphone in a hallway as the House approved a 45-day funding bill to keep federal agencies open, on Saturday.

Senate leaders are trying to resolve an objection from Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado to reach a final vote tonight on a stopgap bill to keep the government open, according to two sources.

Scheduling a vote requires consent of all 100 members.

But Bennet, sources say, is concerned about the measure’s lack of Ukraine aid. Senate leaders are working on a statement to show their support for Ukraine, hoping that will resolve the objection.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar speaks during a senate committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, in February.

Senate Democrats reiterated their support for Ukraine Saturday evening ahead of an expected vote on the House-passed stopgap spending bill, which doesn’t include aid for the war-torn country.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar said “uninterrupted aid” will be their “number-one goal” once a shutdown is averted.

“All these (lawmakers) go and have their picture with (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky and stand there, and believe they’re with Ukraine. I believe they’re with Ukraine, I believe there’s a bunch of Republicans who are with Ukraine,” she said. “And so the big test, the big thing that matters is going to be what happens with the supplemental, and what happens in the next few weeks,” she said.

Sen. Chris Coons added, “I think there is a broad and strong commitment in my caucus and the other caucus to ensure continued support for Ukraine.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said “we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that aid Ukraine is uninterrupted. And I think that’s more than possible to do.”

More context: The stopgap bill originally included $6.2 billion in aid to Ukraine to help fight the full-scale invasion from Russia, but the funds were dropped after some conservatives raised objections during negotiations.

So far, Congress has approved about $113 billion in aid to Ukraine, according to calculations by the US State Department Office of Inspector General and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Multiple recent surveys suggest Republicans would like to see the US scale back its support of Ukraine.

Much of the public overall continues to favor actions such as sanctions against Russia and help with Ukrainian intelligence gathering.

A CNN poll released earlier this summer charted growing Republican opposition to aid in Ukraine, and found 55% of the full public opposed to Congress authorizing more funding to support Ukraine, rising to 71% among Republicans. A majority of the public overall did favor some specific forms of aid, such as help with intelligence gathering (63% support) and military training (53% support).

House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ralph Norman arrives for a meeting of the Republican House caucus on September 30, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Hardline Republican conservatives were furious over House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s pivot to rely on Democratic votes to pass a short-term funding extension, but would not say if they are ready to force a vote to oust him.  

Rep. Ralph Norman wouldn’t say if he has confidence in the speaker when pressed by CNN, but he said he is very disappointed by McCarthy.

He would not say if he would vote for a motion to vacate the chair.

Rep. Wesley Hunt said “we cannot continue to kick this can down the road” after the House passed the extension.

Hunt also would not say if he would vote to vacate the chair.

Rep. Lauren Boebert criticized the passage of the short-term stopgap bill, saying that Congress instead needs to pass the 12 annual appropriations bills.

When asked if she has confidence in McCarthy, Boebert said, “that’s a big question.”

“That isn’t what we’re talking about right now,” she said about possibly ousting the speaker. “My focus is on getting the federal government funded as we ought to.”

Rep. Troy Nehls told CNN it’s “shameful” that the House passed a 45-day stopgap bill with Democratic votes.

When asked what he would do if there’s a vote to oust McCarthy, Nehls argued there is no other person who could get the support needed to serve as speaker.

The Air Traffic Control tower is seen at the Miami International Airport on September 25 in Miami, Florida.

The last-minute government funding legislation passed by the House on Saturday includes a special measure to keep the Federal Aviation Administration operational. 

The FAA is facing a double-barrel threat to its operations: not only the shutdown, but also the expiration of its authority including taxing and spending. A key FAA fund receives tax proceeds from flights and fuel, and that money is spent on FAA and airport improvements, including measures to avoid runway close-calls.

The top Republican and Democrat on the House committee overseeing the FAA said the three-month extension will bridge the gap to a longer FAA reauthorization. The House passed such a bill over the summer, but negotiations are deadlocked in the Senate. 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy looks on in the US Capitol after the House of Representatives passed a stopgap government funding bill to avert an immediate government shutdown, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 30.

As developments on Capitol Hill took an unexpected turn Saturday — with the House passing a short-term bill aimed at averting a government shutdown — Biden administration officials remained in close touch with lawmakers in both parties, officials familiar with the matter tell CNN.

That included direct conversations with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

As the speaker deliberated over putting a short-term stopgap measure on the House floor for a vote, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Shuwanza Goff and senior adviser Steve Ricchetti were in contact with McCarthy, the officials said.

Those conversations are continuing now, CNN is told, as McCarthy’s political future now remains up in the air.

White House officials are continuing to monitor movements on the Hill closely, with the ball now in the Senate’s court. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young are among those who have also been involved in the adminstration’s efforts.

As much as the Biden White House understands that the government funding saga is not over until the bill moves successfully through the Senate, for now, they are pointing to what happened so far today as an illustration that all parties involved except for House Republicans — in other words, Senate Republicans, House Democrats and Senate Democrats — ended up holding their line, the officials said.

In this photo obtained by CNN, Rep. Jamaal Bowman reportedly pulls a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building on Saturday morning, shortly before the House was scheduled to vote on a government funding bill, which the New York Democrat claims was an accident.

New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman attempted to explain himself to reporters this afternoon after meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries over a fire alarm incident, saying he thought the alarm would open a door. 

“I was trying to get to a door. I thought the alarm would open the door and I pulled the fire alarm to open the door by accident,” he told reporters.

He said that accusations from the other side of the aisle that he purposely pulled the alarm are “complete BS.” 

Bowman met with Jeffries about the incident shortly after the stopgap measure passed the House. He said Jeffries tone was “supportive” and “he understood that was a mistake.” 

Bowman laughed loudly when asked about draft resolutions from GOP colleagues to expel him for the incident. “Oh, my goodness. I mean, listen, again, they’re gonna do what they do. This is what they do,” he said.

The incident was first revealed by House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil.

“Rep Jamal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in Cannon this morning. An investigation into why it was pulled is underway,” Steil said in a statement.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the House ethics committee should look into it.

GOP Rep. Lisa McClain told CNN that she is circulating a resolution to censure Bowman. 

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says the Senate is expected to vote to accept the House’s stopgap funding bill, likely in about an hour.

Manchin made the remark while leaving a Democratic caucus meeting. 

Rep. Mike Quigley speaks at a news conference in January about the war in Ukraine, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois, the lone Democrat who voted against the stopgap bill to keep the government open, railed against the decision to not include aid to Ukraine.

“We got 45 days to fix it,” he added. “I don’t see how the dynamics change in 45 days.”

The House floor shortly after they passed a 45-day short term spending resolution, which includes natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine or border security. The final vote tally was 335-91.

The House has passed a 45-day short term spending resolution, which includes natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine or border security.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the House would vote on the measure Saturday after morning meetings, just hours before the midnight deadline to avert a government shutdown.

Here’s what you should know to get up to speed:

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters after voting on a motion to adjourn as the deadline to avert a partial government shutdown approaches on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 30, 2023.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building on Saturday morning, shortly before the House was scheduled to vote on a government funding bill.

The New York Democrat says it was an accident, but Republican leadership is calling for an ethics investigation.

The incident was first revealed by House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil.

“Rep Jamal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in Cannon this morning. An investigation into why it was pulled is underway,” Steil said in a statement.

Bowman’s office said in a statement that the incident was an “accident.”

“Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote. The Congressman regrets any confusion,” his office said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the House ethics committee should look into the incident.

“I think ethics should look at this, but this is serious,” McCarthy said in response to a reporter’s question following the vote.

He added that he will have a discussion with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries regarding the incident.

Following McCarthy’s remarks, GOP Rep. Lisa McClain told CNN that she is circulating a resolution to censure Bowman over the incident. She said she already has co-sponsors and it is being sent to her legislative counsel for review.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrated the passing of the House stopgap spending bill that could avert a government shutdown hours before the deadline.

While Kevin McCarthy faced opposition from the hardline members of his Republican party, the house speaker secured broad support from Democrats.

“It was a victory for the American people and a complete and total surrender by right-wing extremists, who throughout the year have tried to hijack the Congress,” Jeffries added.

The bill must now pass the Senate, which is narrowly controlled by Democrats.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill rebuffed ongoing pleas by the administration to include new assistance for Ukraine in a stopgap funding measure, deeply disappointing many supporters of Kyiv and leaving the future of US support for the country uncertain.

A top official from the Pentagon told lawmakers on Friday the Department of Defense “has exhausted nearly all available security assistance funding for Ukraine,” offering stark warnings about the battlefield effects of failing to pass new assistance. 

Officials from the administration argued to lawmakers on Friday and Saturday that continued funding for Ukraine was necessary both for operational purposes on the battlefield and as a show of support to US allies.

But ultimately, the continuing resolution that passed the House contained no new funding for Ukraine, amid opposition from some hardline Republicans. The failure to pass new Ukraine funding came only a matter of days after Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky personally appealed for continued US support on Capitol Hill and after President Joe Biden and top aides voiced confidence that new funding would be approved. 

After the stopgap measure without Ukraine aid passed the House on Saturday afternoon, a White House official called on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to quickly bring new Ukraine funding up for a vote in the House. Biden has requested $24 billion in additional Ukraine funding.

Lawmakers also said they expected new Ukraine funding to be forthcoming.

Still, the failure to pass new funding amounted to a disappointment for supporters of Kyiv, and some administration officials privately said they feared it could demonstrate weakness in the face of Russian aggression.

Senate Democrats will caucus today at 3:45 p.m. ET, according to a Senate Democratic aide.

This comes after the House passed its version of a short-term funding bill earlier Saturday, with bipartisan support. The Senate will have to start working on it soon if it plans to pass the same bill before the government shuts down. 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks at a press conference following the passage of a House spending bill Saturday, Sept. 30, in Washington, DC.

Following the passage of a House spending bill that may avert a government shutdown, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy criticized his Republican colleagues who repeatedly voted against his efforts.

Some context: McCarthy has faced constant resistance from hardline conservatives within his party. Those lawmakers are expected to eventually force a vote on ousting him from the speakership.

Conservative hardliners in the Republican Party are expected to force a vote to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, just “not yet,” according to a Republican lawmaker.

The House is gaveled out until Monday, so that is the earliest they could bring up the motion. Leadership would then have two days to schedule the vote.

It’s a moment both McCarthy’s critics and the speaker himself have been preparing for, but now the threat has become real, since McCarthy opted to put a stopgap bill on the floor that had more Democratic support than from Republicans. 

McCarthy has remained defiant Saturday when faced with open criticism and threats to remove him as speaker.

But McCarthy would not answer directly when asked if he will need Democratic votes to keep him in the speakership, should a motion to vacate (remove him) come to the floor. 

This post has been updated with comments from McCarthy.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters on Saturday, Sept. 30, in Washington, DC.

All eyes are on the Senate after the House passed a bill with broad bipartisan support to avert a government shutdown.

While Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hasn’t said he will bring up the bill, Democrats in the chamber huddled on the Senate floor after the House vote.

While some Democratic senators, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheed, said they were “disappointed” by the lack of Ukraine aid in the bill, at least two other Democratic senators have expressed optimism that they can pass the bill.

Sen. Joe Manchin said while heading to a caucus meeting, “Cooler heads prevailing; we’ll have no shutdown.”

When asked if the Senate would pass the bill before midnight, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told CNN earlier Saturday, “I’m sure they want that to happen.”

Meanwhile, Republican senators are signaling that they think they can keep the government open. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters that there “is growing hope we may actually avoid a shutdown.”

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin said he believes Schumer will have to bring it up because so many House Democrats voted for the bill. 

One major hurdle for the Senate’s quick consideration of government funding had been GOP Sen. Rand Paul’s vow to slow down any spending bill with Ukraine funding attached. This version does not include that funding, and Paul has said he would not object to a time agreement — meaning it could pass the Senate before the midnight deadline. 

As the House was gaveling out, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida — a hardliner who has opposed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s stopgap spending bill — shouted “Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker,” in an attempt to get the attention of Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas in the chair.

But Gaetz was not recognized and the House adjourned.

The Biden administration would likely support the short-term funding compromise that just passed the House with bipartisan votes, a White House official tells CNN.

The White House had previously lent its support to a Senate-brokered deal that included $6.2 billion in funding for Ukraine. But without a path forward for that deal, avoiding a government shutdown takes priority.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is expected to hold a news conference soon, in the wake of the House passing a stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, to fund the government for 45 days.

The resolution was supported overwhelmingly by House Democrats and must now pass the Senate.

The House floor shortly after they passed a 45-day short term spending resolution.

In a key step to avoid a government shutdown, the House passed a 45-day short term spending resolution, which includes natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine or border security. The final vote tally was 335-91.

The only Democrat to vote against was Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois.

The bill needed two-thirds of House members voting to support it, since it was brought up through an expedited process. The bill now heads to the Senate.

As House Democrats emerged from a closed door meeting before the vote, many told CNN they will support the GOP’s short-term spending bill.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of ‘yes’ votes,” Rep. Annie Kuster said.

“We read it, and we won, so we are going to vote yes,” Rep. Jim McGovern said.

Democrats were heard cheering during the meeting. 

Voting has begun in the House on a stopgap measure to avert a shutdown and fund the federal government for 45 days.

The bill needs two-thirds majority of the chamber to pass. The vote comes just hours before a midnight deadline to avoid a shutdown.

The last-minute GOP push to avoid the US government from lapsing in funding came together rapidly this morning, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy emerging from meetings to announce a vote would be held on a 45-day stopgap measure.

Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks to the press outside the Capitol on September 29.

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida continued to slam House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership Saturday after the speaker said he was being the “adult in the room” by bringing forward a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown.

When asked if McCarthy’s speakership is on the line, Gaetz said, “I would say it’s on some tenuous ground.” 

“Right now our plan is to continue to build support for our single-subject spending bills. This 45-day CR does not liberate us from our nation’s financial challenges,” he added, using an abbreviation for “continuing resolution,” which is the term used for the stopgap measure.

Gaetz told reporters that “whether or not McCarthy faces a motion to vacate is entirely within his control,” arguing the speaker needs to uphold his promise to house conservatives and focus on single subject spending bills.

What McCarthy is saying: The speaker is digging in and daring his right flank to bring a vote to oust him for using a strategy that relies on Democratic votes. 

“Look, if someone wants to try to remove me because I stood for the American public, for the troops to make sure they got paid … to make sure the border agents got paid while we continue to do our work, I welcome that vote,” McCarthy said.

In response to another question from CNN about if he is OK working with Democrats to keep the government open, McCarthy said: “What is wrong with Americans working together? What is wrong with a Republican and Democrat putting America first? I think that’s important.”

House appropriators are circulating a memo raising issues with the short-term funding bill that Speaker Kevin McCarthy is planning to bring to the floor, per a copy obtained by CNN.

Among the issues they point to: the lack of money for Ukraine and the fact that it doesn’t include a provision to block a cost-of-living-adjustment pay raise for lawmakers from going into effect, as the Senate’s stopgap bill does.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, the House financial services chairman, said Saturday that the House GOP is open to make changes on the pay-raise language in their bill. 

Democrats are still weighing how they will proceed and they are stalling for more time. The memo doesn’t recommend how Democrats should vote.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks on the House floor on Saturday, September 30.

The House has resumed debate on the stopgap spending measure aimed at preventing a government shutdown, which is called a continuing resolution, after a Democratic motion to adjourn failed.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is currently using his unlimited amount of time, known as “magic minutes,” to address the chamber. He demanded Republicans keep their word on their agreement with President Joe Biden on spending levels.

Democrats began chanting “keep your word,” and loudly applauded Jeffries throughout. 

Key context: The motion to adjourn had been aimed at giving Democrats more time to read the last-minute GOP proposal.

The plan came together very quickly this morning, and Democratic lawmakers have said they don’t trust the Republicans not to slip something they oppose into the bill, and that they won’t vote on it “blindly.”

The Senate is using a procedural tactic called a “live quorum call,” which requires all of the senators to physically go to the floor, to delay their procedural vote on their own version of a stopgap spending bill. 

Remember: The Senate has put together its own bipartisan proposal to avert a shutdown — but House Republicans have thrown cold water on that plan, leaving the two chambers at an impasse and the attention on the House GOP.

Key senator comments on House bill: Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has vowed all week to slow the voting process beyond the midnight shutdown deadline if a stopgap bill includes funding for the war in Ukraine.

He told CNN on Saturday that he will not slow down the Senate’s consideration of the House GOP’s 45-day spending bill — which, crucially, does not include Ukraine funding — if it passes the House and the Senate takes it up.

This gives lawmakers a path to consider the spending bill very quickly in the Senate, possibly avoiding a shutdown (or at least shortening it), as long as the bill passes the House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer brings it to the Senate floor.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar speaks during a press conference on September 29.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar says “it’s a huge problem” that the short-term bill proposed by Republicans to avert a government shutdown does not include funding for Ukraine.

House Democrats are still combing over the stopgap bill to figure out if they support it, Aguilar said.

Aguilar wouldn’t say how he would vote on the bill, and emphasized he is waiting until Democrats have done a full analysis of the text. 

“We’re close to scrubbing it (reading through the whole text). We will give that analysis to the Democratic members as soon as we have the opportunity to do so,” Aguilar said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks with members of the media following a meeting of the Republican House caucus on September 30, 2023 in Washington, DC.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing threats of removal from the speakership from hardline conservatives in his party — and he could be further imperiled by his last-minute effort to pass a stopgap spending bill today and avert a government shutdown.

McCarthy emerged from a fast-evolving morning of meetings to say the House will vote on a 45-day short-term spending bill as soon as possible. To do so, Republicans are expected to bring the bill under a suspension of the rules, meaning a sizable number of Democrats will be needed to pass it.

Gaetz has been threatening McCarthy’s speakership almost daily and has warned him against working with Democrats on a funding measure. Gaetz has said House Republicans who work with Democrats to avoid a shutdown would be signing their own “political death warrant.”

Gaetz has been vocal in floating the possibility of using a motion to vacate against McCarthy over his handling of shutdown negotiations – a move that can trigger a House floor vote to oust the speaker.

CNN’s Lauren Fox, Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer and Manu Raju contributed reporting to this post.

House Democrats are not going to vote on the GOP’s proposed 45-day short-term spending bill right away. They emerged from a meeting Saturday saying they still need more time to review the bill, because they don’t trust what Republicans put in it. 

House Democratic leadership did not dictate how members should vote in the meeting, according to multiple lawmakers in the room. Instead, they continued to stress that members need more time.

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts explained that reasoning was behind Democrats’ procedural move to call a motion to adjourn.

Some context: The GOP plan to hold a vote on a short-term spending bill today evolved rapidly.

When House Speaker Kevin McCarthy emerged to announce the vote late Saturday morning, he said it would take place just a short time later, around 11:45 a.m. ET.

That time has come and passed, as Democrats say they won’t rush their review.

The House is expected to vote today on a short-term funding bill to avert a federal government shutdown, just hours before its midnight deadline.

Democratic lawmakers are buying time with procedural measures on the House floor, saying they need to review the language of the last-minute Republican proposal.

Read the full bill here:

White House officials are currently consulting with House Democrats on the 45-day short-term spending bill that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has proposed, per a source familiar.

The White House has yet to weigh in on whether this is a bill Democrats should get behind, as members go through language.

Democratic lawmakers have had mixed reactions to the proposal so far, and have called for more time to review the stopgap measure.

House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a press conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 29, 2023.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries demanded more time to review the House GOP’s proposed 45-day short-term spending bill, telling reporters that Democrats don’t trust Republicans’ word on what is in the bill. 

“You drop a bill, tell America that it’s a clean continuing resolution, and we’re expected as elected representatives just to blindly vote on it, like sheep?” he said. “With that record, of having your credibility undermined, over and over and over again, at minimum we need time on behalf of the American people that we represent to evaluate the continuing resolution that will be before the House of Representatives.”

In this May 31 photo, Rep. Dan Kildee talks with reporters in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Democratic lawmakers are varying in support of the last-minute push to avoid a government shutdown, as they respond to news of a coming vote on a short-term spending bill.

Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan, a member of House Democratic leadership, told reporters that party leaders are going through the language for the spending bill now, because they don’t trust House Republicans to not include something Democrats oppose in the language. 

Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida tweeted his support of the GOP’s 45-day stopgap bill.

“I will support this plan. As the only former Emergency Management Director in Congress, I will not vote against full disaster aid funding,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, said on the House floor that she is opposed to the short-term spending bill.

A jogger runs by the US Capitol as the deadline to avert a partial government shutdown approaches at the end of the day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Saturday.

The House is set to reconvene and will move quickly to vote on a stopgap measure to fund the government at approximately 11:45 a.m. ET.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s announcement that a vote would be held on a short-term spending bill evolved rapidly this morning, with lawmakers just a few hours ago discussing efforts to mitigate a shutdown, rather than avoid one entirely.

Now a vote is expected on a 45-day short-term spending bill, just hours before Congress’ midnight deadline.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to members of the press on Saturday, September 30, 2023, in Washington, DC.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that the House will vote on a 45-day short-term spending bill Saturday, and it will include the natural disaster aid that the White House requested. 

It will be under suspension, meaning it will need two-thirds of House members to pass. That means Republicans will need help from Democrats. 

Asked if he is concerned that a member, like Rep. Matt Gaetz, could move to oust him over this bill, McCarthy replied: “If I have to risk my job for standing up for the American public, I will do that.”

The negotiations surrounding a last-ditch effort to avert a shutdown have evolved throughout the morning.

McCarthy’s announcement appears to reflect a rapid shift inside the House GOP conference meeting this morning, where just a short time ago lawmakers had indicated they would focus on bills that would minimize the impact of a government shutdown, rather than completely avoid one.

A number of Republicans, including Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Tom Cole of Oklahoma, say they are now planning to bring a stopgap funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, to the floor. The bill would fund the government for 45 days and include disaster relief but no aid for Ukraine.

President Joe Biden is likely to convene his Cabinet on Monday to discuss continuity of government after a potential shutdown begins Sunday, officials familiar with the planning told CNN.

The meeting will be in person at the White House, one of the sources said.

Given the fluidity of discussions over government funding, plans for the Cabinet meeting could change, but multiple officials had previously told CNN that the administration was eyeing early next week.

House Republicans are planning to vote on bills this afternoon that would minimize the impact of a government shutdown, rather than completely avoid one, according to GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of California, who confirmed the plan to CNN.

Without the votes to move forward on preventing a government shutdown at this time, lawmakers are considering votes to pay military personnel and fund the Border Patrol, FAA and National Flood Insurance Program.

During a conference meeting this morning, Rep. Tom Emmer, the House majority whip, told members that the votes were not there for a stopgap bill to avert the shutdown — hence this idea to soften blow.

Issa said there are approximately six Republicans who are firmly against any short-term government funding option — so, without Democrats, Republicans do not have the votes to avert a shutdown. Democrats have so far been unwilling to vote with Republicans on any government funding option.

Given this roadblock, GOP Rep. Marcus Molinaro of New York described the decision to abandon a short-term funding bill as “the next best approach.”

Another House member said “they are still wrestling” within the House GOP conference and that there isn’t a “consensus” on a path forward.  

“My plan is to watch the vote schedule,” the member said. 

House Republicans may try to pass a stopgap funding bill via a suspension of the rules, according to GOP sources.

It’s a tactic to move the process along more quickly, but would require Democratic support. Such a measure requires a two-thirds majority and is typically used for non-controversial bills.

The idea is still under consideration and will be a point of discussion in this morning’s House GOP conference meeting, according to the source.

The meeting, which started around 9:30 a.m. ET, comes on the final day for House Republicans to come up with a plan to fund the government.

In addition to lawmakers from the chamber, Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma — a former congressman and a close ally of Speaker Kevin McCarthy — is in attendance at the meeting. He is expected to help some of his former colleagues understand the Senate dynamics at play and help back up the speaker, a source familiar tells CNN.

CNN’s Lauren Fox contributed reporting to this post.

As Congress barrels toward its midnight ET deadline to extend funding and avert a federal government shutdown, the question remains if House Democrats would vote for a stopgap bill, known as a continuing resolution, that does not include funding for Ukraine.

While one Democratic lawmaker told CNN, “I suspect Democrats would support a clean ‘CR’ to avoid a shutdown,” it’s unclear if that reflects the majority of the Democratic caucus.

And the lawmaker said that even if enough Democrats step in to help extend funding, the disagreements between the House GOP and Senate remain, as any of the single subject spending bills being passed in the House are dead on arrival in the Senate.

“We’ll be back in the same place,” the member said.

The US Capitol is seen at sunrise on September 30, in Washington, DC.

House Republicans will meet behind closed doors at 9:30 a.m. Saturday as they try to come up with a plan to fund the government, a source familiar with the plans tells CNN.

This meeting comes as the House GOP still lacks a plan for how to keep the government open passed midnight tonight.

One option under heavy discussion is a stop-gap measure until November 17 extending current funding levels, along with aid for natural disasters, according to GOP sources.

It’s unclear if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will go that route, but he has talked about taking that step and daring Democrats to vote against it.

But McCarthy would need to rely on Democratic votes — something that would very likely open him up to a vote seeking to oust him.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leaves a closed door meeting at the Capitol on September 29.

With the clock ticking toward a government shutdown, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz approached a Democratic lawmaker on the House floor this week with a surprising pitch.

Gaetz, who has been threatening Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s speakership almost daily, explained that his rebellion is motivated by a desire to find new leadership that keeps their word, tells the truth, and adheres to regular order – a message that this Democrat described to CNN as “utterly reasonable.”

Gaetz then floated veteran Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma and House GOP Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota as two alternative examples he had in mind, and then attempted to gauge whether this member would be open to supporting an effort to oust McCarthy. The Democrat told CNN there’s been internal discussions about a wide range of potential asks – from power-sharing agreements to policy ideas.

Asked about working with Democrats on his McCarthy ouster effort, Gaetz said: “The subject has come up, but it’s not my focus.” He also emphasized that he has not tried to offer any concessions to Democrats in exchange for their help.

“I have made no offer to Democrats and I would not,” he said.

But McCarthy’s critics aren’t the only ones privately courting House Democrats to play for their team in the ongoing speaker drama. GOP moderates and pragmatic members have also been working Democrats on a plan to get them out of a likely government shutdown and build a consensus to save McCarthy if he faces a so-called “motion to vacate” the speaker’s chair – an effort that has taken on more urgency since a House GOP stopgap bill failed on the floor Friday at the hands of conservative hardliners.

The wheeling-and-dealing illustrates how Democrats are now caught in the crosshairs of the GOP’s ongoing civil war, which has catapulted Congress to the brink of a government shutdown.

Democrats, who typically yield little power in the minority, now find themselves an in-demand constituency for a warring Republican party.

With their votes up for grabs, Democrats are starting to weigh their asking price for what would be a difficult decision: either save McCarthy or team up with one of his chief antagonists to oust McCarthy and throw the House into chaos. Democrats, however, may have no choice but to play a role in McCarthy’s fate if a removal vote comes to the floor.

Read more about the issues facing McCarthy here.

The White House is seen on June 24.

Along with other government agencies, the White House sent a message to its staff with the critical logistical instructions for preparing for a shutdown if one occurs — including a mandatory directive to furloughed employees to turn off their work phones. 

Staff have been asked to enter their personal contact information so they can get updates on their personal devices. If they are furloughed, they will not be allowed to access their government phones. If a shutdown occurs, an email sent Thursday and obtained by CNN said, they will be notified in a text to personal phones and an email to personal and government emails. 

There are three categories of employees:

“If a shutdown occurs, employees should consider themselves furloughed unless told by their component leadership or authorized supervisor that they are exempt or excepted,” the email said. 

Furloughed White House employees, the email said, are authorized to complete “orderly shutdown activities on their next scheduled work day for a period not to exceed four hours.” 

When the shutdown is over, a message will be sent to personal devices, at which point they are allowed to “check your devices for additional instructions.”

The email acknowledged the “uncertainty” as Congress has failed to resolve the issue of government funding. 

“We understand uncertainty can be unsettling. Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and patience through this process, and for all that you do for the Executive Office of the President and the American people,” it said.

The Capitol Building is seen on November 4, 2022.

There is a deep divide between the House and Senate right now over the effort to reach consensus on and pass full-year spending legislation as House conservative hardliners push for deep spending cuts and controversial policy add-ons that Democrats — as well as some Republicans — have rejected as too extreme.

With the funding deadline looming, top lawmakers from both parties hope to pass a short-term funding extension known on Capitol Hill as a continuing resolution, or “CR” for short. These short-term measures are frequently used as a stopgap solution to avert a shutdown and buy more time to try to reach a broader full-year funding deal.

The likelihood of reaching a last-minute deal appears slim on Saturday, after GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Friday failed to find agreement even within his own party to extend government funding, leaving Congress at an impasse.

House conservatives have railed against the possibility of a stopgap bill and have threatened to vote against one while demanding major policy concessions that have no chance of passing the Senate.

A fight over aid to Ukraine and controversial border security provisions have played central roles in the negotiations, further complicating efforts to pass a short-term bill.

Senate Democrats and Republicans strongly support additional aid to Ukraine, which could be included as part of a stopgap bill, but many House Republicans are reluctant to continue sending aid and do not want to see that attached to a short-term funding bill.

Government funding expires at the end of the day today, when the clock strikes midnight and it becomes Sunday, October 1, which marks the start of the new fiscal year.

If Congress fails to pass legislation to renew funding by that deadline, then the federal government will shut down at midnight. Since that would take place over the weekend, the full effects of a shutdown wouldn’t be seen until the start of the work week on Monday.

In the event of a shutdown, many government operations would come to a halt, but some services deemed “essential” would continue.

Federal agencies have contingency plans that serve as a roadmap for what will continue and what will stop. For now, agencies still have time to review and update plans, though it’s not possible to predict exactly how government operations would be impacted if a shutdown were to take place at the end of the month.

Government operations and services that continue during a shutdown are activities deemed necessary to protect public safety and national security or considered critical for other reasons. Examples of services that have continued during past shutdowns include border protection, federal law enforcement and air traffic control.

Federal employees whose work is deemed “non-essential” would be put on furlough, which means that they would not work and would not receive pay during the shutdown. Employees whose jobs are deemed “essential” would continue to work, but they too would not be paid during the shutdown.

Once a shutdown is over, federal employees who were required to work and those who were furloughed will receive backpay.

Read more about the impacts of a government shutdown.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is seen in Washington, DC, on May 8.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned that effects of a government shutdown to the Federal Aviation Administration will not be “easily reversible.” 

“Some of the funds that would be lost that would ordinarily come into our fund that we use for improving physical infrastructure at airports and making safety improvements – we don’t get that back,” Buttigieg said on MSNBC. 

The secretary said an immediate consequence of a shutdown would be that air traffic controllers would stop being paid.  

Another immediate impact of the shutdown to air travel is that more air traffic controllers could not be brought on, according to Buttigieg. He said that after years of being in a shortfall, “we are finally getting in the right direction.” But that would stop, Buttigieg said, and trainees at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma would be sent home.   

Buttigieg placed the blame of a possible shutdown on “extreme Republicans.” He questioned why certain members of Congress are busy with an impeachment when “they don’t even know what for, they just want to have one. This is their idea of how to spend their time,” he said.