Top GOP lawmaker says stop-gap bill will be needed to avert government shutdown

Mr Thune said no ‘political or policy gain’ has ever resulted from a government shutdown

Senate GOP Whip John Thune said lawmakers may need to pass a short-term funding bill to hold off a government shutdown later this year.

He said the bill would allow lawmakers more time to resolve 12 appropriations bills that have yet to be processed, according to CNN.

The window for Congress to resolve the outstanding legislation and avoid a shutdown will soon close. Mr Thune said it was "unrealistic" to think the Congress could finish the work before the deadlines pass for passing the funding needed to keep the government open.

“We ought to allow some time to do some work on the other bills and, if there is a CR, maybe in the March timeframe,” he told reporters.

A "CR" is a continuing resolution — essentially a stop-gap bill to keep the government operating until the appropriations bills are passed.

Congress had to pass a similar measure last January to keep parts of the government, including military construction, the VA, and the Departments of Transportation, Energy and Housing from shutting down.

It's unclear if the continuing resolution would pass in the House. New House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not support passing stopgaps to keep the government functioning, saying he was "done with short term CRs."

It was a fight over government funding that ultimately led to the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Far-right Republicans in the House refused to resolve appropriations bills as a tactic to force concessions from Democrats. Mr McCarthy eventually cut a deal with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown, which enraged a group of MAGA Republicans, led by Congressman Matt Gaetz.

Mr McCarthy was ultimately removed when eight House Republicans voted him out.

Back in the Senate, Mr Thune implied that part of the blame for the lack of movement on government appropriations bills falls on the shoulders of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“I would at least put some of the bills on the floor. I don’t know what Schumer is waiting for,” he said. “We’re wasting time here that we could be using to have a regular appropriations process.”

While Mr Thune's colleagues in the House may see forcing a shutdown as a tactic for bludgeoning concessions out of their political opponents, he said a shutdown would be bad news for everyone, regardless of party.

“We’ve never seen any political or policy gain come out of a government shutdown," he said.