House of representatives (File photo)
WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives will vote Tuesday on emergency legislation that funds government for six weeks and avoids another shutdown, Republican leaders said.
Democrats have threatened to block the measure in the Republican-controlled Congress because it funds the military -- but not domestic programs -- through the remainder of the fiscal year.
But amid a showdown over the budget, and in the aftermath of a three-day government shutdown in January, House Speaker Paul Ryan appeared to be daring Democrats in the Senate to block it.
The bill would be the fifth stopgap in as many months. With the two political parties unable to reach a broad agreement on federal spending, they have approved temporary measures for weeks at a time.
Ryan said the so-called continuing resolution, aimed at extending federal spending after funds were slated to run out at midnight Thursday, would fully fund the US military through September 30.
Democrats "must stop using our troops as pawns in a game of politics," Ryan told reporters Tuesday.
"I urge the Senate Democrats to stop their filibuster and provide our men and women the resources that they need."
The stopgap would extend government funding until March 23.
Ryan appeared confident he had sufficient votes in his caucus to clear the measure in the House. But in the Senate, where the opposition party's use of blocking tactics can derail legislation, Republicans will need at least nine Democrats on board to send it to President Donald Trump for his signature.
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer warned that such a measure would be a non-starter.
Sending a bill to the Senate "that just funded defense and cut programs crucial to the middle class would be barreling head-first into a dead-end," he said Monday on the Senate floor.
"Speaker Ryan needs to do what's best for the country and work in a bipartisan way to fund the government, even if not every faction of his caucus will go along."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested that passing the stopgap including the defense funding would "remove the uncertainty that is hanging over our armed forces, and secure the current year funding that our service members deserve."
