House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said there could be a vote on his funding bill on Friday, but it was uncertain whether it would get enough support from Republican holdouts.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) rejected the Senate's short-term funding bill, which had bipartisan support, in favor of a House Republican plan pushed by conservatives. The risk of a partial US government shutdown this weekend has increased as prospects for a spending deal dim.
Many lawmakers now expect Congress will fail to come up with a budget to keep the government running beyond Sept. 30, meaning a partial shutdown of the federal government and a halt in pay for federal employees and active-duty military personnel.
Both the House and Senate are moving forward with their own stopgap spending packages to try to keep the government open while appropriations legislation moves forward throughout the year. But with wide differences on issues such as spending levels, Ukraine and border security, each chamber has dismissed the other's plan as unworkable.
The conflict centers on the House of Representatives. McCarthy is effectively negotiating simultaneously with House and Senate Republicans, but there is no clear way to bridge the two sides' demands. Some conservative House members have said they would not mind a brief government shutdown if it led to a better solution to the spending dispute, and Senate lawmakers from both parties have called on McCarthy to keep the government open.
McCarthy stuck to his strategy Wednesday, holding a vote on a stopgap package that would further reduce annual spending to $1.471 trillion. The proposal includes enforcement of strict border security measures, but excludes money for aid to Ukraine or disaster relief. The time period covered by the appropriation is still under discussion. Mr. McCarthy said his proposal could be put to a vote on Friday, but it was unclear whether enough unwilling Republicans would support it to pass.
By contrast, the Senate's short-term appropriations bill would allow the administration to continue appropriating budgets at annual spending levels of more than $1.6 trillion for fiscal 2023 through Nov. 17, while also appropriating $6 billion each for Ukraine and disaster relief programs, but without any border initiatives. The short-term funding bill has bipartisan support and easily cleared an initial procedural hurdle on Tuesday.
McCarthy signaled to House Republicans that he does not intend to bring the Senate bill to a full vote. Such a bill would likely pass with Democratic votes, but it would split the Republican caucus, anger many lawmakers and could trigger moves to oust McCarthy as speaker.
"I don't think the House is going to support it," McCarthy told reporters, highlighting Republican calls for tighter controls at the southern border.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said McCarthy is blocking a deal that has bipartisan support. "The bottom line is that if they put our bill to a vote, it would pass," he said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) was reluctant to persuade Mr. McCarthy directly, but noted that the choice facing lawmakers was uncomplicated. The House could accept the Senate's approach and fund the government for six weeks, or it could "shut down the government in exchange for zero policy progress."