House lawmakers worked over the weekend on a stopgap measure needed to fund the U.S. government beyond a Nov. 17 deadline, Speaker Mike Johnson said.
While Johnson didn’t mention the proposed length of the extension in a Fox News Sunday interview, he has floated a Jan. 15 timeline since being elected speaker in October.
The extension “would allow us time” to continue the appropriations process, which involves bringing 12 spending bills to the House floor for passage, the Louisiana Republican said.
“The reason I look a little haggard this morning is because I was up late last night,” Johnson said. “We worked through the weekend on a stopgap measure. We recognize that we may not get all the appropriations bills done by this deadline of Nov. 17, but we are going to continue in good faith.”
Johnson discussed a possible stopgap measure running through Jan. 15 with Senate Republicans last week. He has also said that some members have discussed a “laddered” continuing resolution, setting staggered deadlines for individual appropriations bills, though leaders haven’t followed up on that possibility.
