The continuing resolution (CR) currently funding the federal government expires this week, on November 17th, 2023. As of this writing, there has been no deal between the House, the Senate, and the White House to continue funding beyond that date, setting up a high-stakes week for Congressional leadership as they work to resolve their funding disputes.

On November 1st, the Senate passed three of its Appropriations bills in a “minibus” package, including the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) bill that includes low income housing supports and the Family Unification Program vouchers. The bills passed the Senate floor with bipartisan support: the THUD bill passed with a final vote of 82-15, and with no problematic amendments related to HUD.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives was forced to delay votes on two Appropriations bills last week due to continued disagreements within the House Republican caucus over the various cuts and policy riders attached to the bills.

On Saturday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) unveiled a “laddered” CR proposal, a stopgap measure that would extend spending for some agencies to mid-January and others to early February. Under the draft bill, funding for the agencies covered by the Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, Energy-Water and Transportation-HUD bills would be extended to Jan. 19, and the agencies covered by the other eight bills would be extended a little longer, to Feb. 2. It doesn’t include any of the supplemental funding packages President Joe Biden has requested, including $106 billion for Israel, Ukraine, U.S.-Mexico border management, child care funding and more.

It is uncertain whether the Speaker will be able to get this proposal through the House, as he faces the same pressures and divides that stymied former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s effort on the first CR in September. Additionally, the bill is likely to be dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate. The White House has already expressed its opposition to the bill: “This proposal is just a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns—full stop,” a statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre read.

With only a few days until the CR expires, Congress will need to come together to keep the government funded and ensure that children and families are not impacted by a government shutdown.