House Speaker Mike Johnson told members on Friday that he expects to advance a standalone measure in October to boost funding for member security, even as he pushed Republicans to approve a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Johnson expressed confidence that the GOP would be able to pass the short-term package Friday morning, while privately discussing a separate path for additional security dollars that could be decoupled from the fiscal 2026 legislative branch appropriations bill, two people who attended the meeting said.

The proposal — as described by Johnson in brief comments on the Capitol steps and confirmed by the two meeting attendees — would separate increases in member security funding from the broader annual appropriations process and bring them forward on their own timetable. The speaker told reporters he expected a “standalone measure,” though he did not raise that option during the prior evening’s meeting, according to the two people.

Member security funding typically pays for threat assessments, secure office upgrades, and security measures at lawmakers’ district offices, as well as coordination with the Capitol Police and the House Sergeant at Arms. Historically those resources are considered within the legislative branch spending bill, which also funds the Capitol Police, the Library of Congress, and other institutions; appropriations committee deliberations have traditionally offered the primary forum for oversight of such spending.

Johnson’s maneuver reflects both a tactical approach to hold together a fractious Republican conference and a political calculation about where leverage exists in the upcoming funding fights. With competing continuing resolutions slated for floor votes on Friday and a shutdown deadline looming, House leaders face pressure to deliver quick wins to skeptical members who want tangible security assurances and to lawmakers wary of broader omnibus bargaining that could produce unwanted policy riders.

Breaking member security out of the legislative branch bill would likely accelerate enactment of extra protections for members, but it also raises questions about transparency and accountability. Appropriations staff and legislative oversight groups warned in previous cycles that standalone packages can curtail the usual committee vetting and restrict public scrutiny of line-item spending. Democratic lawmakers and some watchdogs have in the past argued that measures benefiting lawmakers should face the same rigorous review as other federal spending.

“Security for elected officials is a legitimate government function,” said an appropriations aide who requested anonymity to discuss internal strategy. “But the process matters — how decisions are made and how funds are reported back to Congress and the public.”

Johnson’s offer may also be designed to blunt intra-party dissent: a narrow, focused bill could appeal to members who say they are primarily concerned with immediate threats to themselves and staff, while leaving the larger partisan fights over policy riders and nondefense cuts to the continuing resolution debate. Opponents will watch whether money allocated in a standalone bill adds to already-opaque accounts or is accompanied by clear reporting requirements and oversight by the Sergeant at Arms and appropriations committees.

As members return to the floor for the CR votes, the prospect of a separately targeted security measure gives House leaders another lever to deploy in negotiations this fall. Whether it delivers the political cohesion Johnson seeks or prompts fresh oversight battles will depend on the bill’s details and on how Republicans and Democrats frame the balance between urgent protection needs and procedural accountability.