House Republican leaders are back to the drawing board as negotiations over government spending hit a major speed bump on Thursday after a handful of GOP lawmakers sank a procedural vote on the annual defense spending bill for the second time this week.

After the rule was shot down, a group of hard-line conservative members met with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to try and figure out a plan forward. These talks come after McCarthy unveiled a continuing resolution proposal to lawmakers during a closed-door meeting the night before, which angered some hard-line conservatives who remained adamant they would not support any stopgap measure.

HOUSE GOP LEADERS SIGNAL POSSIBLE FUNDING BREAKTHROUGH WITH CONSERVATIVE HOLDOUTS

Instead, lawmakers who met with McCarthy on Thursday indicated that leadership may punt on that plan and start moving to pass all 12 appropriations bills separately.

“Whether or not they actually pass, we'll find out. But right now, the votes aren't there for a CR, period. It's just not going to happen,” said Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN). “So let's start focusing on what we can accomplish, and that is moving the appropriations bills.”

Emerging from McCarthy’s office, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) seconded Ogles’s message and said he believes the House should pause consideration of the defense appropriations bills and go to the funding bills that cut spending.

“The votes aren't there, so this group today met to go over what is possible, what appropriations bills we can move together, and I'm quite heartened by the progress that we made in that discussion,” Gaetz said.

After the holdouts left McCarthy’s office, the appropriations cardinals huddled in the Speaker’s suite to discuss a path forward on reworking appropriations bills and passing them off the floor.

None answered questions on their way in.

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The failed defense vote on Thursday throws a wrench in leadership’s plans to get a spending deal in place before the Sept. 30 deadline, after which government funding will lapse unless an agreement is finalized. It’s not yet clear when the House is scheduled to reconvene for votes on any legislation, and members have been advised to keep their schedules flexible. Votes are still expected over the weekend.

But despite the struggle House Republicans are having at the moment, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) said that “real progress” is being made.