EXCLUSIVE — The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus is working to avoid a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution that would last until January and would implement border security provisions and provide funding to Ukraine.
The plan, which was created in part from the House Republican Conference being unable to come to an agreement on a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, came out of a meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Wednesday.
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According to a framework of the plan obtained by the Washington Examiner, step one is to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through Jan. 11, 2024 and then ensure Congress can complete “FY24 regular order appropriations” by that date.
The continuing resolution will include President Joe Biden’s supplemental request for Ukraine aid with “transparency” and disaster relief funding. It will also include border security provisions that will be enforced through Dec . 31, 2024.
Step two is to pass the appropriations bills at the spending caps set in the bi-partisan debt ceiling deal Biden signed into law in June.
Step three is to “adopt appropriations process reforms to increase process transparency, restore regular order and prevent excessive use of” continuing resolutions.
They will do this by adopting the bipartisan budget process reform recommendations of the House Committee on Modernization and Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform.
The recommendations include regular order for the budget and appropriations process, having the comptroller General issue an annual report on the fiscal state of the nation, and having the president submit a mid-year report on the nation's budget.
The fourth step is to implement mechanisms that will address the long-term debt and deficit.
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It would create a Fiscal Commission to review and recommend “a package to stabilize long-term deficits and debt” and have the Congressional Budget Office consider “the cost of servicing the debt in its estimations.”
While this framework still has a long way to go to become law, it does provide an alternative for centrist Republicans in the House who have not been on board with the spending cuts hardline conservatives want to make in order to support a continuing resolution. And only five Republicans would need to cross over with Democrats to pass this bill out of the House.