A group of House conservatives are heading to the White House Wednesday to discuss the path forward for avoiding a partial government shutdown.

"It's a meeting with the House Freedom Caucus leadership, and then a few of the people who philosophically share our feelings about the fiscal situation," House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital. "And we're going to hear what the president has to say."

Fresh off an internal battle that ended with House Republicans taking the first step to advance President Donald Trump's agenda through the budget reconciliation process, GOP lawmakers are facing another looming fiscal fight.

Congressional negotiators have punted fiscal year 2025 government funding talks twice since the new fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2024. They did so by passing a continuing resolution, a short-term funding patch to extend current federal spending levels.

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Congress could risk a partial government shutdown on Trump's watch if nothing is done by the end of March 14. To avoid that, however, GOP leaders are looking to pass another continuing resolution, this time through the end of fiscal year 2025.

But Democrats and Republicans are at an impasse over the left's demands that the resolution include assurances that Trump will not overstep Congress and spend less money than what's appropriated. 

Democratic votes have been critical to passing every continuing resolution since Republicans took the House in January 2023. And with a razor-thin majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can lose few votes to pass anything with just GOP support.

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Trump has spoken out on the matter, calling on Republicans to pass a "clean" extension of last year's funds through the end of the fiscal year.

Republican leaders are hoping that will be enough to sway conservatives and other GOP lawmakers who normally are, on principle, opposed to continuing resolutions.

It is why several such lawmakers will be at the White House Wednesday.

"I'm hopeful we can get this off the ground," Harris said. "But, again, it's going to involve all hands on deck in the Republican conference in the House." 

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., another House Freedom Caucus member who normally opposes continuing resolutions, suggested he may be open to supporting this latest bid.

Norman, who will be at the White House Wednesday, was hopeful Trump's push to cut government waste represented a new chapter that could allow for Republicans opposed to a continuing resolution to feel comfortable crossing that line.

"I will be part of the group, and we'll be talking with the president," Norman said. "It's real important to keep his momentum going. It's a new day with the DOGE cuts. (Continuing resolutions) a lot of us don't like. We haven't voted for them in the past. Today is different, and I think we'll pass the vote.

"If we have to get Democrats, that's not a good sign. And I don't think we have to, nor should we. And there's no one better to sell a program or a point of view than Donald Trump." 

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, declined to say if he would attend the meeting but said he was supportive of Trump's stance on a continuing resolution. 

Roy, the House Freedom Caucus policy chair, has become a de facto liaison between Republican leaders and the most hawkish members of the House GOP Conference.

"I have publicly said that I'm happy to support the president's request to have a (continuing resolution) the next six months, provided that it's clean, provided that it is at current levels or below," Roy said. "I'm not going to talk about private meetings and what I've been invited to, but let's say I'm in close contact with the White House."

FIRST ON FOX: A group of conservative lawmakers in the House and Senate is warning Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., against agreeing to restrict the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a spending bill as the government shutdown deadline of March 14 inches closer. 

The sometimes-resistant batch of Republicans is also committing to backing a clean stopgap bill for the rest of the fiscal year to avoid a shutdown, which they've opposed in the past. 

"[W]e are deeply concerned about recent reports of Democrats’ demands for a government funding agreement that would perpetuate the unsustainable status quo of wasteful spending," Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., joined by several others, wrote to the congressional leaders. 

The group of signers included several fiscal hawks in the House and Senate, many of whom have opposed stopgap spending bills on principle, preferring full-year appropriations bills. 

"Any attempt to use government funding legislation to dilute the President’s constitutional authority to save taxpayer dollars must be rejected outright," the lawmakers wrote.

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In this circumstance, the group of Congressional conservatives said they're willing to back a "clean" continuing resolution, or short-term spending bill, that lasts the rest of the year, for the sake of avoiding a government shutdown. 

But they also made it very clear to Johnson and Thune: Don't let Democrats restrict DOGE in the spending bill. 

The correspondence was co-signed by 19 other Republicans: Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Barry Moore, R-Ala., Clay Higgins, R-La., Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Brandon Gill, R-Texas, Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., and Mark Harris, R-N.C.

Scott is the new chairman of the Republican Senate Steering Committee, a group of conservatives in the upper chamber that works to influence policy and priorities in their conference. 

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According to the sometimes rebellious group of Republicans, they "stand ready" to work with both House and Senate leadership to keep the government open. But, they said, "we will not support a government funding package that would be weaponized against President Trump at the very moment he is seeking to make good on the promises he made to the American people."

Johnson's office referred Fox News Digital to a recent appearance by the speaker on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," where he said, "Heading up to the March 14 deadline, we'll have to probably pass a clean CR instead of separate [appropriations] bills. Why? Because the Democrats in Congress were trying to demand that as a condition of appropriations, that we would somehow tie the hands of the president, limit his authority, you know, put Elon Musk in a corner and take him off of his mission."

"We're not doing that. That's a nonstarter, and Democrats know that, so I hope they'll be reasonable," he said.

Thune's office declined to comment to Fox News Digital.

Last month, President Donald Trump sounded off on the shutdown deadline on Truth Social. "As usual, Sleepy Joe Biden left us a total MESS. The Budget from last YEAR is still not done. We are working very hard with the House and Senate to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill ('CR') to the end of September. Let’s get it done!" he wrote. 

The House Freedom Caucus has at times weaponized the House’s razor-thin majority to push for more conservative positions in negotiations and legislative matters. In the Senate, members of the more covert Steering Committee have also banded together in the past against actions by GOP leadership that they didn't agree with. 

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The deadline for a partial government shutdown is March 14, and Republicans and Democrats have yet to come to an agreement on a spending measure to avoid such a fate.

As Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE has aggressively tackled perceived waste and bloat in the federal government, Democrats have expressed outrage at widespread spending cuts and federal worker layoffs.

And now, with some leverage in the shutdown discussions, Democrats in Congress are demanding assurance that Trump spends the money as Congress has appropriated it, shielding it from DOGE.

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Sources familiar with previously told Fox News this could take form in a specific bill provision hamstringing DOGE.

In order to pass a spending bill to avoid a partial shutdown, Republicans will need some level of Democratic support. Sixty votes are needed in the Senate, meaning at least seven Democrats will need to cross the aisle, provided that all Republicans also support it. Only a majority is needed in the House, but full Republican support of any bill is not guaranteed.

As the prospect of a mid-March government shutdown looms, President Donald Trump endorsed the idea of a continuing resolution to fund the government through the end of September.

"As usual, Sleepy Joe Biden left us a total MESS. The Budget from last YEAR is still not done. We are working very hard with the House and Senate to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill ("CR") to the end of September. Let’s get it done!" he declared in a Thursday night Truth Social post.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in a statement on Friday that he will back Trump's request.

"I will support President Trump's request for a clean CR to hold spending flat while DOGE continues to identify cuts, the administration re-programs those funds, and Congress readies a strong FY26 appropriation package that cuts waste and reflects DOGE and common sense," the congressman noted in the statement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated that "anomalies" can be inserted into a CR to increase or decrease spending, noting that language could be added to reflect spending changes like cuts associated with USAID.

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Johnson made the comments during a Wednesday appearance on CNN after Kaitlan Collins asked him if passing a CR would "refund" programs Elon Musk has been seeking to slash. 

Johnson said he thinks a continuing resolution would largely be a "clean CR," with changes to account for the "new realities" of "less government" and "more efficiency." 

"I would have a real hard time voting for a clean [continuing resolution] after everything that we’ve seen out of DOGE," Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., said, according to The Hill. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Crane's office on Friday to request a comment from the congressman. "I have little confidence that Congress will be able to keep up with President Trump," Crane said in a statement emailed over by a staffer who explained the lawmaker was referring to the prospect of Congress making the Trump administration's actions permanent via legislation.

"Why are we even having DOGE if we’re not gonna solidify and put it in the CR?" Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., asked, according to The Hill.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Norman's office on Friday, but the office did not provide a comment from the congressman. 

CQ Roll Call reported that it obtained a list of anomalies that the White House budget office sent to lawmakers this week.

The document titled "FY 2025 FULL-YEAR CONTINUING RESOLUTION ASSUMPTIONS," includes some proposed anomalies to increase spending but others to decrease spending.

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For example, one entry on the list notes, "An anomaly is needed to provide the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program with an additional $3,654 million in order to maintain current services for 2.3 million low-income families in 2025." The document states that, "At the full year CR level, approximately 230,000 households could lose assistance."

But another item goes the other direction, declaring, "An anomaly is needed to include a recurring rescission for the Enforcement account of the Internal Revenue Service in the Department of the Treasury in the amount of $20.2 billion. This anomaly would rescind funding that was enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act," the document notes.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Friday to request comment on the CR situation and seek confirmation of the document obtained by CQ Roll Call, but did not receive a response.

Democrats and Republicans in Congress are gearing up to blame each other for a potential partial government shutdown next month, even as negotiations to avoid the pitfall continue.

"The federal government will run out of money on March 14. Republicans, who control Congress and thus decide whether the government shuts down, will bring to the floor tomorrow arguably one of the worst budget bills ever," Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, wrote on X recently.

With just over 10 days left in session before the deadline, congressional Republicans are tentatively looking at passing a short-term extension of last year's federal funding, known as a continuing resolution (CR), while potentially modifying it to account for priorities set by President Donald Trump, Fox News Digital was told.

It could also include extra funding for military readiness to ease defense hawks' concerns.

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Trump himself weighed in on Truth Social on Thursday night: "We are working very hard with the House and Senate to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill ("CR") to the end of September. Let's get it done!"

But Republicans have drawn a red line at Democrats' demands for added assurances that Trump will not move to unilaterally cut cash flows already appropriated by Congress.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said in a closed-door GOP meeting last week that the Democrats' price was too high, a lawmaker at the meeting told Fox News Digital.

On Friday, the top two Democratic negotiators released a blistering statement accusing Republicans of "walking away from bipartisan negotiations to fund the government — and raising the risk of a shutdown in so doing."

And Democratic lawmakers for weeks have already been positioning to place the blame on Republicans if no agreement is reached.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., dodged a question from Fox News Digital earlier this week about whether Democratic leaders would encourage their members to reject a funding bill if it did not meet their demands.

"The appropriations process at this moment is in the hands of [House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.] on behalf of House Democrats," he said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X this week, "Republicans are spending precious time trying to cater to the wishes of Trump’s billionaire buddies INSTEAD OF working to avoid a disastrous government shutdown that would hurt tens of millions of American families. Democrats are fighting for families."

Since Republicans took back control of the House in 2023, any government funding bill that's been signed into law has needed Democratic support in both chambers to pass.

But this year, some Democrats are arguing that Republicans will fully own a shutdown, since they now control both chambers of Congress and the White House.

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Republicans, however, have accused Democrats of being unreasonable and are readying to blame them if a shutdown occurs. 

"If that happens, that's because the Democrats do not want to do the necessary work of getting waste and inefficiency out of our government," Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Fox News' Bill Hemmer.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., suggested liberals were still playing hardball earlier this week during his weekly press conference.

"If they are interested in collaborating with us and us putting up votes to fund government, then they have to work with us. If they walk away, that is a signal that they have this on their own… We're not interested in putting up votes just because," he said. 

"We're interested in funding a government that protects vulnerable populations, protects our communities, makes investments in our national security and defense. Those are the things that Democrats care about. If Republicans don't want to partner with us, then, clearly they must have a strategy to fund this on their own, using their own votes."

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Democrats "are at the table negotiating in good faith to fund the government."

"But Republicans are the majority in the House and Senate. If they want our votes, they need to work with us," she said, warning Republicans not to "follow [Elon Musk] toward a shutdown."

Congressional Democrats want to make sure President Donald Trump and his administration don't attempt to impound, or choose not to spend some of the money that is allocated in a new spending bill to avoid a government shutdown on the March 14 deadline. 

They are specifically demanding assurance that Trump spends the money as Congress has appropriated, and this could take shape in a provision in the bill to stop the government from shutting down next month, four sources familiar with the discussions shared with Fox News Digital. 

The demand comes as Trump and congressional Democrats continue to feud over the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which reasserted Congress' power of the purse and barred the executive branch from holding back any appropriated funds. 

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However, some constitutional scholars have argued this law was unconstitutional, a philosophy that Trump and his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) chief Russell Vought share. 

The clash over impoundment could eventually prompt the courts to rule on it. 

"The administration will not accept infringement on its lawful or constitutional authorities," White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"Yeah, I think we're looking through and considering all the various possibilities at this point of how to comply with it," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

"And again, I remind people, we're in this situation because the Democrats didn't move a single appropriation bill last year across the floor, even though 11 of them had been passed by the committee. So this is a pileup that they created, and now we have to try and figure out how to manage. But we'll sort it out and figure out how to keep the government funded," he added.

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As the majority leader referenced, the government has been funded largely through stopgap spending bills in recent years, with the Democrats unwilling to bring appropriations bills to the floor when they were at the helm in the previous Congress. 

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., spoke up during the GOP conference meeting on Tuesday, telling his colleagues that Democrats were asking for too high a price in negotiations that is restraining Trump's authority, a Republican lawmaker shared with Fox News Digital.

"We cannot just reach an agreement, pass a bill, and then stand by while President Trump rips our laws in half," Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., said recently, her office noted. "There is a serious, bipartisan path forward for our country – but it is one where Congress works together to avoid a shutdown, stops the de facto shutdown that is already happening, and reasserts its authority to protect the funding our communities need." 

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Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, also previously told reporters that Democrats' request for guarantees from the Trump administration is "certainly a major issue," as her office referenced. 

She explained, "There's still not agreement. We're close, but there's still not agreement on the topline and the allocation under that for defense and non-defense. I've made four different offers. The last one was a joint offer with Tom Cole, and it was a very fair offer, as were all the others."

Democrats are in a position they haven't been in the first several weeks of the new Congress as the two parties attempt to negotiate a spending bill to prevent a partial government shutdown: They have leverage. 

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Republicans are going to need some level of Democratic support for a spending bill in order to get it through the House and Senate. Sixty votes are needed in the Senate, meaning at least seven Democrats will need to back the bill, provided that all Republicans also support it. In the House, only a majority is needed, but full Republican support of any bill is not guaranteed. 

With that in mind, Democrats are using their position to try and rein in Trump's actions as it relates to shaking up the federal bureaucracy and canceling spending and contracts through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which billionaire Elon Musk was tapped to lead. 

The White House, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, and Cole did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

Democratic lawmakers are fueling concerns of a partial government shutdown, warning they may withhold support for any plan in protest of President Donald Trump's shakeup of the federal government. 

Left-wing leaders who have warned of the catastrophic consequences of government shutdowns in the past are now publicly signaling it could be a possibility – and they are already positioning to blame Republicans.

"What leverage do we have? Republicans have repeatedly lectured America, they control the House, the Senate and the presidency. It's their government," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters when asked about what concessions he would seek in exchange for Democratic help to avert a partial shutdown. "We are in the governing season, and so we're ready to work together on any issue. But I'm also confused about the leverage that we allegedly have in the face of such an overwhelming mandate that was given to Republicans by the American people, according to them."

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Meanwhile, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., suggested a partial shutdown could even aid in stopping the work of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which Democrats have repeatedly raised alarms over. "This is on them. This is about whether or not they can get the votes. They are the majority. And if they cannot govern, then that's for the American people to see," Kim told NBC News' "Meet The Press," referring to Republicans.

"I've worked through multiple government shutdowns. I will be the last person to want to get to that stage. But we are at a point where we are basically on the cusp of a constitutional crisis, seeing this administration taking steps that are so clearly illegal. And until we see a change in that behavior, we should not allow and condone that, nor should we assist in that."

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House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., signaled one point of opposition was Trump and his allies' support of allowing Trump to direct less federal spending than what was authorized by Congress, which Democrats argue runs afoul of the Constitution's separation of powers.

"We will meet with folks, and we will try to find common ground where it is possible. But what we will not do is engage in an effort that gives Donald Trump money to direct our federal government that he has no plan to utilize or implement," Aguilar said at a press conference last week. "If we're going to pass law, we need to know that the law is followed. And it doesn't appear that House Republicans are in a position to push back against Donald Trump to protect vital funding that supports our communities."

Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told CNN that Democrats should seek a "very high" price in exchange for their votes.

In past fiscal standoffs, Democrats had used the specter of a government shutdown to force Republicans back to the negotiating table.

Jeffries said during the previous round of government funding talks in late December, "If the government shuts down, holiday travel will be impacted…Border security and border patrol agents will not be paid. TSA agents will not be paid. Small businesses will be hurt in every single community in this country."

"This reckless Republican-driven shutdown can be avoided if House Republicans will simply do what is right for the American people and stick with the bipartisan agreement that they themselves negotiated," Jeffries said at the time.

Government funding has long been a thorny issue within the House Republican conference. 

GOP leaders have relied on Democratic support to pass every federal funding bill that has been signed into law since taking the House majority in January 2023.

Despite now having the Senate majority as well, Republican leaders' razor-thin margins mean House GOP lawmakers would need to vote nearly in lock-step to pass any one bill without Democrats.

The House has about 15 days left in session before the government funding deadline on March 14.

Democratic lawmakers have also previously painted shutdowns as "catastrophic" for the economy and federal workforce.

Aguilar said during a January 2024 press conference, "House Democrats are in lock step that we need to avoid a government shutdown, which would be a disaster for our economy and a disaster for hardworking American families."

• The government runs out of funding on March 14, and lawmakers are having a hard time making a deal.
• DOGE's actions in the federal government are contributing to that.
• "This DOGE bullshit has to end," one House Democrat said.

In a matter of weeks, the United States federal government could shut down for the first time in five years — with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency being a key reason.

Republicans now control the White House, the Senate, and the House. Government funding has historically been a bipartisan affair, with Democrats supplying the majority of votes for every funding bill that passed the GOP-controlled House in the last two years. That's required both sides to come together on bills that, while not completely satisfactory to either side, are acceptable enough that both parties can tolerate them.

Democrats increasingly say that President Donald Trump's moves to reshape the federal government without congressional input, including the DOGE-led slashing of USAID and the short-lived federal grant freeze, make it nearly impossible to reach a deal, unless it stops.

"We shouldn't give them a single damn vote until we have demands met," Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told Business Insider. "If they want to pass massive cuts at these agencies, they're going to have to do it on their own."

"Things are going to have to change," Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts told BI. "This DOGE bullshit has to end, and the president has to respect our branch of government."

It's not just that Democrats disagree with what Trump and Republicans are doing, which is to be expected. It's that the Trump administration's recent moves to circumvent Congress's spending power have made lawmakers unsure whether any deal they strike amongst themselves will be further tweaked by Trump.

"If this president can say, I refuse to spend money the way it was appropriated, why would any bipartisan group of senators be able to come to and keep an appropriations deal going forward?" Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware told reporters this week. "I get it, there's some disagreement about USAID, but the much more fundamental fight is over whether an agreement in appropriations, that is a law, will be respected."

According to the Nixon-era Impoundment Control Act and subsequent court cases, it's illegal for a president to simply refuse to spend congressionally approved funds. Trump and his allies have long signaled that they view that law as unconstitutional and will challenge it in the courts.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a letter to colleagues on Monday that Trump's recent spending moves "must be choked off in the upcoming government funding bill," signaling a bid to use government funding as leverage to get Trump to change course. The following day, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Jeffries had "laid out the foundation for a government shutdown."

Republicans are generally seen as unable to pass a government funding bill on their own in the House, owing to their extremely slim majority and the existence of a hardline conservative bloc that's unwilling to pass bills that don't include extremely steep cuts. Even if that were possible, the Senate's 60-vote "filibuster" rule means that Democratic cooperation is needed in the upper chamber.

For Republicans, there's an expectation that Democrats will play ball when it comes to government funding, especially given Johnson's frequent reliance on Democrats to pass funding bills in the last year or so. That's true even for the more Trump-skeptical in the GOP.

"There's no avoiding the cooperation that is required," Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told BI, adding that she believes Democrats' objections to Musk and funding freezes can be kept separate from the government funding fight. "It's too important. We've got to get this done."

But among Democrats, there's a sense that their general willingness to fund the government has been taken for granted and that if there is a shutdown, it will be Republicans' to own.

"It's up to the Republicans. They're in charge of the House, the Senate, and the White House," Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin told BI. "So, you know, if Morticia and Cousin Itt and Uncle Fester can all agree on something, then we won't have a shutdown. My guess is they're going to have some difficulty."

If no government funding bill is passed by March 14, the federal government will run out of funding and shut down, aside from some essential functions.

That means federal workers would be at least temporarily out of work, airports would be delayed, national parks would be shuttered, and more.

Politically, shutdowns tend to be painful for the party in power. The last time that the government shut down was in December 2018, when Trump's demand for billions of dollars in border wall funding was unable to pass Congress. At 35 days, it remains the longest shutdown in American history.

There are less than two months until the next government funding deadline on March 14, and House lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned about the speed of their progress on spending talks.

"I think it’s a complete failure for us to not have a topline number," said Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla. 

Congressional Republicans have been busy negotiating a massive conservative policy and budget overhaul via a process called "reconciliation," which allows the party holding both the House and Senate to enact sweeping changes by lowering the Senate's threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51.

But all the while, Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital are worried about falling behind on the federal appropriations process for fiscal year (FY) 2025, with no topline funding numbers to work from yet and just 19 days left in session until the deadline.

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Congress has extended the FY 2025 deadline twice since the period began Oct. 1 – most recently passing a short-term funding extension of FY 2024 funding levels, known as a continuing resolution (CR), in late December.

"Appropriation bills have to get done. If we end up with another CR, that would be catastrophic. That would mean, in essence, a reduction on defense [funding]," said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. "But for us to start doing it, we need a topline number. But I’m optimistic we’ll get there."

If nothing is done by March 14, Congress could be forced to contend with a partial government shutdown in the middle of their reconciliation talks – and within the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term.

Other members of the committee suggested they were similarly in the dark about a topline number, but were cautiously hopeful.

"We are less than eight weeks away from the CR expiring. We need to be able to get those toplines as soon as possible and get to work," said Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla. "I have full faith and confidence that Tom Cole will be able to make that happen in the next week or two."

Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., has been "in consultation" with his counterparts on a towline number.

Asked about the possibility of another CR, he said, "We have several things going on at once – the reconciliation package, raising the debt ceiling, and the appropriations process. So let’s just hope for the best and deal with the worst if we have to."

Republican leaders have previously been forced to seek Democratic support to pass CRs, which normally hit a wall of opposition among a cross-section of the GOP.

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Conservative hardliners told Fox News Digital they're bracing for another CR or, worse in their eyes, a massive package combining Congress' 12 regular appropriation bills into one massive "omnibus."

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said he and other conservatives were working on a bill to keep border security operations funded in the event of a government shutdown.

"We’re running out of time," he said, adding that Republicans should "probably stay in next week" instead of flying to their annual issues conference in Miami.

Rep. Keith Self, R-Fla., pointed out that House lawmakers have just over two weeks' worth of days in session to come up with a plan.

"I'm very concerned. I'm also concerned that if we screw up the CR on March the 14th, does it poison the reconciliation negotiations?" Self posed.

But not all conservatives are concerned. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., said he would be in favor of a full-year CR if "we write it properly."

"You tell me what the topline is, and I'll tell you whether I'm concerned," he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to congressional Republican leaders and the House Appropriations Committee for comment.

A group of 51 bipartisan lawmakers is urging House negotiators to keep up the flow of dollars to a visa program for Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover of their country.

Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, wrote to the House of Representatives' top appropriators as they continue to negotiate federal funding for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2025.

"We write to urge you to maintain critical provisions for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program1 in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations package. Authorizing new Afghan SIVs is critical to vetting and relocating qualified Afghan principal applicants currently in the processing pipeline," they wrote to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., and others.

It comes as President-elect Trump promised to work toward steep spending cuts in the coming federal funding fights. He wrote on Truth Social last week, "The United States will cut Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in spending next year through Reconciliation!"

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People in Trump's orbit, including some House Republicans, are pushing for him to have greater control over how congressionally appropriated funds are spent.

Meanwhile, Trump tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy last month to lead an advisory panel on cost-cutting dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

The duo have already positioned themselves as influential players in Congress' spending discussions as well, having led the revolt against a 1,547-page government funding bill that was a product of bipartisan negotiations. They have not, however, said where they want to see Congress pull back on spending.

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The 51 lawmakers pushing for the Afghan SIV program to be preserved argue it is "a life-saving path to safety for Afghan nationals who face serious danger as a result of their work alongside U.S. troops, diplomats, and contractors."

"Congress must continue this work so that the State Department is able to issue visas to eligible Afghans who face imminent threats from the Taliban, Islamic State, and other hostile groups because of their service to the U.S. and our allies," they wrote.

The Afghan SIV program was first enacted in 2009, but saw new importance after the Taliban's lightening-fast takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 – which precipitated the U.S.'s withdrawal after decades in the Middle Eastern country.

Congress authorized additional visas under the program every year since FY 2019, according to the letter.

Congressional negotiators have so far failed to come to an agreement on FY 2025 spending, forcing lawmakers to pass two extensions of last year's funding levels to prevent a partial government shutdown.

The most recent extension, called a continuing resolution (CR), gives lawmakers until March 14 to make a deal.

Senators voted to pass a new version of a stopgap spending bill early Saturday morning after the midnight deadline for a partial government shutdown came and went.

The Senate advanced the third version of a short-term spending bill by 85 to 11, and it will now head to President Biden's desk, who has already signaled that he will sign it. 

An original agreement on a short-term spending bill was released earlier in the week, totaling 1,547-pages and including a number of policy provisions and disaster aid. 

But soon after its release, billionaire Elon Musk and other conservative critics publicly blasted the measure, ultimately resulting in it being condemned by President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. 

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"Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is Schumer and Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief," Trump and Vance said in a lengthy statement opposing the bill on Wednesday afternoon.

The initial spending measure would have extended government funding levels for fiscal year 2024 through March 14 and provide over $100 billion in disaster aid for those affected by storms Helene and Milton in the U.S. Southeast earlier this year. There was also a $10 billion provision for economic assistance to farmers in the bill. 

Meanwhile, as of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and was continuing to climb rapidly. 

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The size of the bill, along with several of its other provisions, including a cost of living raise for lawmakers, prompted the public reaction from Musk and others. 

"Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!" he wrote on X. 

After heading back to the drawing board, House Republicans emerged on Thursday with a new proposal. The revised measure would have extended current funding levels for three months and included a debt limit suspension for two years, per the request of Trump. 

Additionally, it had economic relief for farmers and about $110 billion in disaster aid. 

But the bill failed on the House floor Thursday night as Democrats united against it and a significant group of Republicans opted to oppose it as well.

TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: 'READY TO STAY' THROUGH CHRISTMAS

"Old bill: $110BB in deficit spending (unpaid for), $0 increase in the national credit card. New bill: $110BB in deficit spending (unpaid for), $4 TRILLION+ debt ceiling increase with $0 in structural reforms for cuts. Time to read the bill: 1.5 hours. I will vote no," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on X ahead of the vote. 

Roy was one of 38 House Republicans that opposed the stopgap bill. 

By Friday morning, there appeared to be no agreement between Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work together on a new bill. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the government would go into a partial shutdown at midnight if Republicans did not return to the original stopgap bill. 

"I'm ready to stay here through Christmas because we're not going to let Elon Musk run the government," Murray said in a statement. 

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Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor that the original bill would pass in the House if Speaker Mike Johnson brought it to the floor for a vote. 

The third measure, which ultimately passed the House and Senate, was similar to the one that failed the night prior. The bill included economic relief for farmers and disaster aid for those affected by recent storms. However, the final stopgap bill did not include a suspension of the debt ceiling, which Trump had requested himself. 

The House passed the short-term spending bill with 366 yes votes, surpassing the necessary two-thirds.

A partial government shutdown began at 12:01 on Saturday morning after Congress failed to pass a stopgap spending measure before the deadline and send it to President Biden's desk.

However, the Senate is actively working through amendment votes and other considerations in order to send the measure to Biden. The stopgap bill is expected to be passed in the Senate in the coming hours. 

The partial shutdown comes only days before Christmas and New Year's. 

As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and was continuing to climb rapidly. 

During a partial government shutdown, federal agencies and non-essential services are stopped, but some functions that are considered "essential" will continue. Certain national security functions, such as border patrol, law enforcement and disaster response, will remain active during the shutdown. 

However, because the Senate is expected to move the bill forward imminently, the disruption to government function will be minimal, if at all noticeable.

An original agreement on a short-term spending bill was released earlier in the week, totaling 1,547-pages and including a number of policy provisions and disaster aid. 

TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: 'READY TO STAY' THROUGH CHRISTMAS

But soon after its release, billionaire Elon Musk and other conservative critics publicly blasted the measure, ultimately resulting in it being condemned by President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. 

The initial spending measure would have extended government funding levels for fiscal year 2024 through March 14 and provide over $100 billion in disaster aid for those affected by storms Helene and Milton in the U.S. Southeast earlier this year. There was also a $10 billion provision for economic assistance to farmers in the bill. 

TIM SCOTT'S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES

The size of the bill, along with several of its other provisions, including a cost of living raise for lawmakers, prompted the public reaction from Musk and others. 

After heading back to the drawing board, House Republicans emerged on Thursday with a new proposal. The revised measure would have extended current funding levels for three months and included a debt limit suspension for two years, per the request of Trump. 

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Additionally, it had economic relief for farmers and about $110 billion in disaster aid. 

But the bill failed on the House floor Thursday night as Democrats united against it and a significant group of Republicans opted to oppose it as well.

By Friday morning, there appeared to be no agreement between Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work together on a new bill. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the government would go into a partial shutdown at midnight if Republicans did not return to the original stopgap bill. 

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"I'm ready to stay here through Christmas because we're not going to let Elon Musk run the government," Murray said in a statement. 

The House managed to pass a third version of the spending bill on Friday. It was similar to the second version, including both economic relief for farmers and disaster aid, but did not have the debt ceiling suspension that Trump had been adamant about. 

The bill received broad bipartisan support in the House and the green light from Biden, as the White House said he'd support it. Even Schumer released a statement after the House's passage, saying he was "confident" it would pass the Senate. 

The House has passed a bill to avert a partial government shutdown on Friday, hours before the midnight federal funding deadline. 

The bill, which needed approval from two-thirds of the chamber, passed overwhelmingly in a 366 to 34 vote. 

All Democrats voted for the bill save for Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who voted "present."

Lawmakers were scrambling for a path forward after an initial bill was tanked by President-elect Trump and his allies on Wednesday, and a later bill approved by Trump failed on the House floor Thursday.

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But Trump has stayed noticeably silent on this latest measure – which many House Republicans saw as a tacit sign of approval.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was optimistic after days of uncertainty, telling reporters there would be a House-wide vote Friday when leaving a closed-door House GOP meeting where leaders presented their plan.

"We will not have a government shutdown, and we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for the disaster victims all over the country and for making sure that military and essential services and everyone who relies upon the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays," Johnson said. 

Meanwhile, the national debt has climbed past $36 trillion, and the deficit is over $1.8 trillion.

The legislation, if passed in the Senate, would extend current government funding levels through mid-March, a measure known as a continuing resolution (CR), paired with just over $100 billion in disaster relief aid for victims of storms Helene and Milton, as well as assistance for the agriculture industry.

Johnson bypassed regular House procedures to get the legislation straight to a chamber-wide vote, a maneuver known as "suspension of the rules."

In exchange for the fast track, however, the threshold for passage was raised from a simple majority to two-thirds of the House chamber, meaning Democratic support is critical.

MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told reporters he believed Johnson struck an agreement with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. A longtime Johnson critic, Massie said he would not vote for the bill.

"Trump wanted a debt limit increase, and now we're bringing the exact same bill to the floor without the debt limit increase," Massie said.

Another Republican lawmaker argued Johnson would not move forward without Trump's blessing.

"We wouldn't do it if they weren't," Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said when asked if Trump and Elon Musk were supportive of the deal.

Trump and Musk led the conservative rebellion against the initial plan to avert a partial shutdown, a bipartisan deal that came from negotiations between the top two Democrats and Republicans in both Congressional chambers.

That bill, 1,547 pages, would have extended current government funding levels until March 14. However, GOP hardliners were angered by what they saw as unrelated measures attached to the bill, like a pay raise for congressional lawmakers, health care policy provisions and legislation aimed at revitalizing RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

It was scrapped as Trump and Musk threatened to force out of office any lawmaker who did not support pairing a CR with action on the debt limit.

The debt limit is suspended until January 2025 through a prior bipartisan deal, but Trump had pushed for Republicans to act on it now to avoid a messy, protracted fight early in his term.

The second iteration of the funding deal was much slimmer, coming in at 116 pages. It excluded the stadium bill and the congressional pay raise, but still included measures to fund the rebuilding of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge and disaster aid funding. It also suspended the debt limit through January 2027.

A House vote on the second plan went down in flames, however, after 38 Republicans opposed to raising or suspending the debt limit voted with all but two Democrats to defeat the bill.

Johnson huddled with those holdouts Friday morning, along with Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, and Vice President-elect JD Vance. 

The bill that passed the House on Friday does not act on the debt limit, but Johnson pledged in that closed-door meeting to raise the debt limit early next year as part of Republicans' plans for a massive policy and spending overhaul.

During their closed-door meeting Friday, House GOP leaders unveiled their CR plan as well as a plan to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion, followed by $2.5 trillion in net spending cuts, multiple people told Fox News Digital.

Democrats who left their own closed-door meeting shortly before the vote largely said they would support the bill – which they did.

President Biden has said he would sign it into law if it reaches his desk after a Senate vote.

• House lawmakers voted to avoid a federal government shutdown on Friday.
• The Senate passed the stopgap funding bill minutes after the midnight deadline passed.
• The vote caps a week full of drama on Capitol Hill.

President Joe Biden signed a stopgap funding bill on Saturday that prevents a government shutdown. Senate lawmakers passed the bill minutes after the Saturday midnight deadline passed.

Earlier on Friday, House lawmakers voted 366 to 34 for the bill, with one Democratic lawmaker voting present. House Democrats provided significant cover for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who lost 34 Republicans on the measure.

The White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement on Friday that it had ceased shutdown preparations.

Trump downplayed the stakes of a shutdown, but it likely would have affected the transition of power and some planning for his inauguration.

Now that the bill has been signed into law, government funding will run through March 14, giving President-elect Donald Trump a little breathing room once he retakes office next month.

Republicans denied Trump's request to suspend or even eliminate the debt ceiling, which would have resolved a thorny political issue in advance of a likely GOP effort to extend Trump's 2017 tax law. According to Punchbowl News, Johnson said Republicans have agreed to address the nation's borrowing limit next year when the GOP will retake entire control over Washington.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his fellow Democrats ultimately backed a deal stripped of many of the incentives initially included to garner more support among his party.

Elon Musk and other conservative activists opposed the initial bipartisan bill earlier this week, effectively killing it. Trump then urged Republicans to pass a pared-down funding bill and an extension of the debt ceiling. On Thursday night, 38 House Republicans and nearly every House Democrat voted against that plan, raising the stakes as a shutdown approached.

"The last 72 hours highlighted the positive impact that DOGE can have, but it also laid bare the massive lift ahead next year," Vivek Ramaswamy, who will co-lead Trump's "Department of Government Efficiency" with Musk wrote on X, "We're Ready for It."

Musk also announced his support of the legislation before its passage. Johnson told reporters he had a brief conversation with him.

"The Speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances," Musk wrote on X. "It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces. Ball should now be in the Dem court."

The episode illustrated that significant divisions remain among Republican lawmakers that even Trump can struggle to paper over. Trump has ambitious plans for his second term, including the potential of using a special procedural power known as reconciliation to ram through tax extensions and border security measures. He'll only be successful if the GOP can remain almost entirely united.

Senate Democrats labeled billionaire Elon Musk "co-president" and "shadow speaker" among other titles as they reacted to the original stopgap spending deal's implosion on Wednesday after he and ultimately President-elect Trump came out against it. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Musk "seems to be the guy in charge of the country now," reacting to his apparent ability to influence the bill's prompt failure despite it having been agreed upon by bipartisan leaders in Congress. 

If a measure to provide funding for the government is not passed by Congress and signed by President Biden by midnight on Saturday morning, a partial government shutdown will go into effect. 

As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to climb rapidly. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS TRY TO FAST-TRACK EMERGENCY MILITARY PAY AS THEY BRACE FOR SHUTDOWN

After a 1,547-page short-term spending bill was debuted this week. Musk quickly took to X to trash it, pointing out various seemingly irrelevant provisions as well as its cost and length. 

He was soon joined by other critics, and Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance issued their own statement opposing the bill. 

This led to significant criticism from Democrats unhappy with Musk's apparent ability to influence Trump and the Republicans in Congress. 

TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: 'READY TO STAY' THROUGH CHRISTMAS

"He's the one who seems to be calling the shots," Warren told reporters. 

"Elon Musk is the one evidently in charge of the Republican Party and has blown that deal up. So I don't know how the Republicans are planning to recover from that," she said. 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., suggested that Musk is "already the shadow speaker of the House," in a slight against House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

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"I think he's unelected, and he's created a whole lot of damage," said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.

He claimed Republicans in Congress were "busy listening to Co-President Musk and co-President Trump." 

"I'm listening to the people of Georgia, especially the farmers who are struggling to get disaster relief. And, we need to make sure that we get that over the finish line," said Warnock.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., reiterated that Musk is not an elected official. "He doesn't have any official government job," he said. 

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"We had a deal with Republicans in the House and now, because of him, the president-elect is on the verge of people losing their jobs and not getting paid over the holidays," Kelly said of a potential partial shutdown if a bill is not passed by a deadline of midnight on Saturday morning. 

Despite their Democratic colleagues' claims, Republicans pushed back on the idea that Trump was being influenced by Musk. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., noted that there are "lots of people around President Trump," adding that he doesn't think Musk has control over what the president-elect does. 

Musk was tapped by Trump, along with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to lead what is called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a proposed advisory board tasked with eliminating government waste.

House lawmakers will soon vote on a bill to avert a partial government shutdown after a similar measure backed by President-elect Trump failed Thursday.

Congress is scrambling for a path forward as the clock ticks closer to the federal funding deadline, with a partial shutdown expected at 12:01 a.m. Saturday if no action is taken.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested there would be a House-wide vote Friday when leaving a closed-door House GOP meeting where leaders presented their plan.

"I expect that we will be proceeding forward," Johnson said. "We will not have a government shutdown, and we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for the disaster victims all over the country and for making sure that military and essential services and everyone who relies upon the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays."

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Meanwhile, the national debt has climbed past $36 trillion, and the deficit is over $1.8 trillion.

Multiple lawmakers told Fox News Digital the forthcoming legislation would extend current government funding levels through mid-March, a measure known as a continuing resolution (CR), paired with just over $100 billion in disaster relief aid for victims of storms Helene and Milton, as well as assistance for the agriculture industry.

Johnson's aim is to bypass regular House procedures to get the legislation straight to a chamber-wide vote, a maneuver known as "suspension of the rules."

In exchange for the fast track, however, the threshold for passage is raised from a simple majority to two-thirds of the House chamber, meaning Democratic support is critical.

MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told reporters he believed Johnson struck an agreement with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. A longtime Johnson critic, Massie said he would not vote for the bill.

"Trump wanted a debt limit increase, and now we're bringing the exact same bill to the floor without the debt limit increase," Massie said.

Another Republican lawmaker argued Johnson would not move forward without Trump's blessing.

"We wouldn't do it if they weren't," Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said when asked if Trump and Elon Musk were supportive of the deal.

Trump and Musk led the conservative rebellion against the initial plan to avert a partial shutdown, a bipartisan deal that came from negotiations between the top two Democrats and Republicans in both Congressional chambers.

That bill, 1,547 pages, would have extended current government funding levels until March 14. However, GOP hardliners were angered by what they saw as unrelated measures attached to the bill, like a pay raise for congressional lawmakers, health care policy provisions and legislation aimed at revitalizing RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

It was scrapped as Trump and Musk threatened to force out of office any lawmaker who did not support pairing a CR with action on the debt limit.

The debt limit is suspended until January 2025 through a prior bipartisan deal, but Trump had pushed for Republicans to act on it now to avoid a messy, protracted fight early in his term.

The second iteration of the funding deal was much slimmer, coming in at 116 pages. It excluded the stadium bill and the congressional pay raise, but still included measures to fund the rebuilding of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge and disaster aid funding. It also suspended the debt limit through January 2027.

A House vote on the second plan went down in flames, however, after 38 Republicans opposed to raising or suspending the debt limit voted with all but two Democrats to defeat the bill.

Johnson huddled with those holdouts Friday morning, along with Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, and Vice President-elect JD Vance. 

The latest plan that's expected to get a vote does not act on the debt limit, but Johnson pledged in that closed-door meeting to raise the debt limit early next year as part of Republicans' plans for a massive policy and spending overhaul.

During their closed-door meeting Friday, House GOP leaders unveiled their CR plan as well as a plan to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion, followed by $2.5 trillion in net spending cuts, multiple people told Fox News Digital.

It's still not clear if the bill will sway all the 38 holdouts, however. Many had advocated for a plan to separate the CR from disaster relief and agricultural aid to vote on "single-subject" bills.

But with a partial government shutdown looming just hours away, it appeared House leaders were running out of time to get that done by the end of Friday.

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans are making an effort to ensure military members are paid during a potential partial government shutdown as Congress inches closer to the midnight deadline on Saturday morning. 

Three Senate sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is leading an attempt to "hotline" a bill to make sure all armed service branches are paid in the event of a partial government shutdown. 

A hotline is a procedure used by senators usually to pass procedural motions or relatively noncontroversial measures. The practice allows bills or motions to pass with often very little or no public debate at all. 

TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: 'READY TO STAY' THROUGH CHRISTMAS

Sullivan will take the Senate floor to make a live request for unanimous consent to consider the measure at 6 p.m. 

The bill is entitled the Pay Our Troops Act. It is cosponsored by Republican Sens. Lisa Murskowski of Alaska, Ted Budd and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Steve Daines of Montana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and JD Vance of Ohio. 

A spokesperson for Murkowski told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Senator Murkowski is adamant that our Armed Forces should not worry about their paycheck or their mission to keep Americans safe because of Congressional politics. This is non-negotiable for her."

TIM SCOTT'S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES

The effort is extending to the House side again as well, where Fox News Digital was told that Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., is pressing for a vote on the version she introduced in the House. 

"We’re obviously pushing to keep the government open, but as a backup plan, we need to be providing reassurance to our military," Kiggans said, adding she has spoken with House GOP leaders about getting a vote on her bill.

One Republican source told Fox News Digital that they expect Senate Democrats to object to the request, noting that they have done so in the past. 

'MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN' CAUCUS LAUNCHED BY SEN MARSHALL AFTER RFK JR MEETING

Republicans previously sought to pass this bill in September 2023, with Sullivan and Cruz requesting it on the floor. However, this effort was blocked by a Democrat objector. 

At the time, Sullivan said in a statement, "There is precedent--very strong precedent--on this very bill, this commonsense bill that has historically received the strong support from both sides of the aisle and in both Houses." 

"Facing an imminent government shutdown in 2013, which ended up lasting 16 days, this bill, the Pay Our Military Act, was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate and unanimously by the U.S. House and signed by the President. Congress recognized then the importance of uninterrupted military pay for our military members and their families."   

DOGE CAUCUS LEADER JONI ERNST EYES RELOCATION OUT OF DC FOR THIRD OF FEDERAL WORKERS

After two stopgap spending bills have been scrapped in the House, a partial government shutdown is looking more and more likely, leading some to prepare for the worst. 

While Republicans in the lower chamber are searching for a deal that is both approved by President-elect Donald Trump and has the votes to pass the House, Senate Democrats have reiterated that they are only willing to consider the original short-term spending bill that was released earlier in the week before billionaire Elon Musk led a public campaign against it. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 as of Thursday and continues to climb rapidly. 

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

Top Senate Democrats, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., made clear they only intend to move forward on the original stopgap spending bill plan that Republicans scrapped after pressure from billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Trump.

Murray said she is prepared for a partial government shutdown and to stay in Washington, D.C., for the Christmas holiday if Republicans do not return to the original short-term spending bill that was released earlier this week and subsequently killed after Musk and others publicly opposed its provisions.

"I'm ready to stay here through Christmas because we're not going to let Elon Musk run the government," she said in a Friday morning statement, hours before the government could be sent into a partial shutdown if a bill is not passed. 

TIM SCOTT'S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES

As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to climb rapidly. 

"Put simply, we should not let an unelected billionaire rip away research for pediatric cancer so he can get a tax cut or tear down policies that help America out-compete China because it could hurt his bottom line. We had a bipartisan deal-we should stick to it," Murray said. 

In floor remarks on Friday morning, Schumer said, "if Republicans do not work with Democrats in a bipartisan way very soon, the government will shut down at midnight."

"It's time to go back to the original agreement we had just a few days ago. It's time the House votes on our bipartisan CR. It's the quickest, simplest and easiest way we can make sure the government stays open while delivering critical emergency aid to the American people," he said.

Schumer also said that if House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., were to put the original bill on the House floor for a vote, "it would pass, and we could put the threat of a shutdown behind us."

'MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN' CAUCUS LAUNCHED BY SEN MARSHALL AFTER RFK JR MEETING

Murray added, "The deal that was already agreed to would responsibly fund the government, offer badly needed disaster relief to communities across America, and deliver some good bipartisan policy reforms. The American people do not want chaos or a costly government shutdown all because an unelected billionaire wants to call the shots — I am ready to work with Republicans and Democrats to pass the bipartisan deal both sides negotiated as soon as possible." 

After Musk and conservatives railed against the 1,547-page bill, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance ultimately condemned it as well, killing whatever chance it had left. 

Murray's Friday statement came shortly after it was revealed that House Republicans were planning a new continuing resolution vote in the morning on a different proposal. It is unclear whether negotiations are taking place across party lines or bicamerally, however. 

DOGE CAUCUS LEADER JONI ERNST EYES RELOCATION OUT OF DC FOR THIRD OF FEDERAL WORKERS

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told reporters on Friday morning that House Republicans were "very close to a deal" and that a vote could happen in the morning.

However, if that deal is not the original stopgap spending bill, it sounds like Murray and Democrats in the Senate would be prepared to oppose it. 

Murray also is not the only one who is saying they are prepared to let the government's funding expire before the holiday. Several Republicans have expressed their willingness to let it shut down if Republicans are not able to get a better deal. 

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Trump himself wrote on Truth Social Friday morning, "If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!"

Congress must pass a measure, and it must be signed by President Biden by midnight on Saturday morning in order to avoid a partial shutdown. 

• Bernie Sanders says Elon Musk is using his wealth and political clout to undermine US democracy.
• Musk lambasted a government funding deal and said a shutdown would be the Democrats' fault.
• "Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk?" Sanders asked on X.

Elon Musk is wielding his immense wealth and political power to pressure US lawmakers, shifting America from democracy to oligarchy, Sen. Bernie Sanders says.

In two recent X posts, the Vermont senator called out Musk's influence over Republicans and his warnings to legislators if they don't vote the way he wants.

"The US Congress this week came to an agreement to fund our government," he wrote late Wednesday. "Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected. Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk? This is oligarchy at work."

"Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is threatening to unseat elected officials if they do not follow his orders to shut down the government during the holidays," he said in a Thursday post. "Are we still a democracy or have we already moved to oligarchy and authoritarianism?"

Musk blasted the funding bill in question as bloated and overcomplicated and wrote on X that "any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!"

He threw his weight behind Republicans' alternative bill, hailing it as cleaner and simpler. Moreover, he posted that it would be the Democratic Party's fault if an agreement isn't reached and the government shuts down.

Both Trump's team and Musk have pushed back against the idea that he's pulling Republicans' strings. Musk has said he's only bringing things to the attention of his followers, and they're free to voice their support.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO's net worth hit a record $486 billion on Tuesday, up $257 billion from the start of the year — a figure that exceeds the fortune of the world's second-richest man, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Tesla stock has slid since then, but Musk was still worth $455 billion at Thursday's close.

As Sanders wrote, Musk's wealth surged after President Trump's election victory as Tesla stock rode a broader market rally, and investors wagered the automaker would benefit from Musk's close ties to the White House. Additionally, SpaceX was valued at a record $350 billion this month, boosting the worth of Musk's stake in the rocket company.

Sanders has called out Musk several times in his criticisms of wealth inequality, which often single out billionaires for having too much influence and paying too little in taxes.

"Never before in American history have so few billionaires, so few people had so much wealth and so much power," he said in a clip from "Meet the Press" that he recently shared on X.

"We can't go around the world saying, 'Oh well, you know in Russia, Putin has an oligarchy," Sanders continued. "Well, we've got an oligarchy here, too."

The progressive lawmaker has also clashed with Musk's Big Tech peers. Sanders recently told Bill Gates that he was a "very innovative guy" who deserved to be financially rewarded for his contributions to society as Microsoft's cofounder — but not to the tune of billions of dollars.

"How much do you deserve? Can you make it on a billion? Think you could feed the family? Probably. Pay the rent? Maybe," Sanders quipped.

In response to Sanders saying billionaires shouldn't exist in 2019, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, now the world's third-richest person, agreed that "some of the wealth that can be accumulated is unreasonable."

• The House of Representatives failed to pass a pared-down spending bill.
• The vote came after President-elect Donald Trump tanked a bipartisan version that looked set to pass.
• The move pushes the government closer to a holiday shutdown.

The House of Representatives on Thursday failed to pass a stripped-down spending bill following a tumultuous 48 hours on the Hill, pushing the government closer to a partial shutdown right before the holidays.

Republicans in the House said they had settled on a new version of the continuing resolution ahead of the vote on Thursday after President-elect Donald Trump tanked a previous spending bill that initially won bipartisan support.

But the final vote was 174-235-1. Thirty-eight Republicans flouted Trump and voted against the continuing resolution.

On Wednesday, Trump came out hard against the original continuing resolution, urging Republican lawmakers to renegotiate the bill and threatening to primary those who failed to fall in line.

The president-elect's apparent turnabout came after billionaire Elon Musk publicly backed the idea of shutting down the government until the day Trump is inaugurated. Musk railed against the resolution, which he said included items unrelated to government funding, such as pay raises for lawmakers and pandemic preparedness.

Musk, who has been tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, celebrated the pared-down spending bill ahead of the failed Thursday vote.

"This shows how much your voice matters!" the Tesla CEO wrote on X. "And having a President like @realDonaldTrump means that your voice is finally heard."

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seem to agree that Musk played a major role in killing the original bill. Some have expressed concern about the outsized influence Musk seems to have on Trump. The president-elect, for his part, has pushed back on suggestions that Musk is the one in control.

The continuing resolution that failed to pass on Thursday was smaller in scope than the original legislation. Among the items cut from the bipartisan resolution included funding for a child cancer research program, funding for research on premature labor, money for treatment of sickle cell disease, money for early cancer detection, a program for Down syndrome research, and an anti-deepfake porn bill.

The newer version of the resolution would have kept the government funded through mid-March and suspended the nation's debt ceiling until January 2027.

Trump encouraged Republican lawmakers to back the new version of the bill on Thursday.

House Democrats, on the other hand, expressed frustration about the series of events. CNN reported Thursday that Democrats could be heard chanting "hell no" during a caucus meeting ahead of the vote.

If lawmakers fail to reach an agreement, a partial shutdown would lead to suspended funding for many government entities and withheld paychecks for thousands of federal employees right before the holidays.

A bill to avert a partial government shutdown that was backed by President-elect Trump failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night.

Congress is inching closer to the possibility of a partial shutdown, with the deadline coming at the end of Friday.

The bill needed two-thirds of the House chamber to pass, but failed to even net a majority. Two Democrats voted with the majority of Republicans to pass the bill, while 38 GOP lawmakers bucked Trump to oppose it.

The margin fell 174 to 235.

It comes after two days of chaos in Congress as lawmakers fought among themselves about a path forward on government spending – a fight joined by Trump and his allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Meanwhile, the national debt has climbed to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion.

The legislation was hastily negotiated on Thursday after GOP hardliners led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy rebelled against an initial bipartisan deal that would have extended the government funding deadline until March 14 and included a host of unrelated policy riders.

The new deal also includes several key policies unrelated to keeping the government open, but the 116-page bill is much narrower than its 1,547-page predecessor.

Like the initial bill, the new iteration extended the government funding deadline through March 14 while also suspending the debt limit – something Trump had pushed for.

It proposed to suspend the debt limit for two years until January 2027, still keeping it in Trump's term but delaying that fight until after the 2026 Congressional midterm elections.

The new proposal also included roughly $110 billion in disaster relief aid for Americans affected by storms Milton and Helene, as well as a measure to cover the cost of rebuilding Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was hit by a barge earlier this year.

Excluded from the second-round measure is the first pay raise for congressional lawmakers since 2009 and a measure aimed at revitalizing Washington, D.C.'s RFK stadium.

The text of the new bill was also significantly shorter – going from 1,547 pages to just 116.

"All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote ‘YES’ for this Bill, TONIGHT!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

But the bill hit opposition before the legislative text was even released.

Democrats, furious at Johnson for reneging on their original bipartisan deal, chanted "Hell no" in their closed-door conference meeting on Thursday night to debate the bill.

Nearly all House Democrats who left the meeting indicated they were voting against it.

Meanwhile, members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus also said they would vote against the bill.

"Old bill: $110BB in deficit spending (unpaid for), $0 increase in the national credit card. New bill: $110BB in deficit spending (unpaid for), $4 TRILLION+ debt ceiling increase with $0 in structural reforms for cuts. Time to read the bill: 1.5 hours. I will vote no," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on X.