GOP/HOUSE OF REPS: “House Republican leaders, after scrambling for support to keep the government open Thursday [12-21-17] morning, have scheduled a vote late in the afternoon in a sign they are confident they will be able to pass a stopgap spending bill.
While Republican aides acknowledge the vote will be tight, they have grown more confident as the day has moved forward that they will be able to pass the bill, which Democrats plan to oppose. Republican leaders also scheduled a separate vote on a disaster relief package.
As House Republican leaders looked to lock in disparate groups who were voicing concern over the short-term package, new support from a key committee chairman underscored the progress they were making…
Republicans are trying to avoid a shutdown just days ahead of the holidays, but passing a funding bill will require the party to go it alone in the House or risk overshadowing their biggest legislative accomplishment of the year…
The measure would include a short-term re-authorization of a government spy program and nearly $3 billion in funding for the Children’s Health Insurance program.
The House is at a standstill — and has been in recess, with no indication of when a possible vote would be held — as GOP leaders work behind the scenes to wrangle the votes necessary to pass the bill.”
-Lauren Fox, Deirdre Walsh, and Phil Mattingly, “House schedules votes Thursday afternoon to keep government open,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Dec. 21, 2017 12:57pm