House Republican leaders announced on Tuesday that they will make public the text of a short-term continuing resolution (CR) intended to keep the federal government funded past the September 30 deadline, and plan to hold a floor vote on the measure Friday. The expedited schedule is aimed at headlining a stopgap that also contains funding for an updated member security program, Republican lawmakers said, but sets the stage for a weekend sprint in the Senate to reconcile language and pass the measure.

The House timetable was described by multiple GOP aides as a pragmatic response to competing pressures inside the conference: a desire to avoid a shutdown, appease hardline conservatives demanding policy restrictions and deliver assurances to members about office security. "Our objective is clear: release the text Tuesday and vote Friday so the Senate can finish the work," a senior House Republican aide said. The aide spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Speaker Mike Johnson has made averting a shutdown a repeated priority, but Republicans remain divided over whether to attach spending riders on immigration, energy or social policy to a CR. The inclusion of an enhanced member security program is a concession to lawmakers who have warned of increased threats to members and staff, particularly after a string of high-profile security incidents on and off Capitol Hill. House GOP leaders say the proposal will shore up reimbursements and physical protections for members' offices.

Democrats warned that the Republican timetable risks repeating a recurring pattern of brinkmanship. "Short-term fixes are better than a full shutdown, but leadership must avoid using must-pass bills to advance unrelated priorities," said a senior Democratic aide. Democrats also flagged international implications: prolonged uncertainty around U.S. appropriations can slow agency operations overseas, delay civilian foreign assistance and complicate security cooperation with allies.

Senate leaders signaled the chamber may have to work into the weekend to finish a compromise. "Given the calendar, there's a real chance the Senate will be here Saturday or beyond to wrap this up," a Senate leadership aide said. Weekend sessions would be a familiar if unpopular recourse for lawmakers hoping to stitch together votes from a divided Senate while resolving House amendments and policy riders.

The compressed schedule comes as federal agencies prepare contingency plans for funding continuity, and as international partners watch Washington for signs of fiscal stability. Short-term continuing resolutions typically freeze spending at prior-year levels, slowing new program starts and complicating multiyear contracts at the Pentagon and foreign assistance programs. U.S. diplomats and defense planners often urge that Congress provide predictable funding to sustain commitments overseas.

With less than two weeks until the fiscal year rollover, the House timeline reflects a political calculation: pass a stopgap, secure member priorities and force the Senate to negotiate on a tight deadline. Whether that approach produces a clean CR that the evenly divided Senate will accept, or drags into extended weekend bargaining, will determine whether federal operations continue smoothly and whether Washington can avoid another headline-grabbing funding fight.