The United States House Speaker, Mike Johnson, announced that the Republicans have reached a C plan to avoid a government shutdown and will vote on the bill on Friday morning (December 20th).
“Yes, we have a plan,” Johnson said as he entered the Capitol building on Friday morning. “We expect to vote this morning, so please stay tuned. We have a plan.”
The speaker did not provide further explanation.
The risk of a government shutdown is escalating. If both chambers of Congress fail to pass a temporary funding bill before midnight on Friday, and subsequently fail to submit it to President Biden for signing into law, the federal government will partially shut down starting Saturday morning.
Shortly after Johnson’s comments on Friday morning, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin shared on CNBC that he believes a government shutdown may be avoided.
“There’s a chance we could pass a simple CR (Continuing Resolution) today, a short-term and concise CR that could last for two to three weeks,” Mullin said. “This was discussed late last night, you know, even discussed this morning. I’m not saying it’s a done deal, but you know, it’s definitely an option on the table.”