Top congressional Republicans appear united on a plan to advance another stopgap funding bill to keep the government open from March 14 through Sept. 30 as negotiations on new spending bills have stalled over Democratic demands.

Democrats have pushed to add language to the 12 annual spending bills restricting President Trump from ignoring or shifting funding that Congress approves.

They argue that lawmakers need to reassert the power of the purse as the president and his Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, take a “meat ax” to the federal government by freezing funds to programs they don’t like and firing workers.

“It looks like they’re trying to push us into a shutdown scenario,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, accusing Democrats of “placing completely unreasonable conditions on the negotiations.”

One idea he said Democrats have floated is stipulating how many employees each executive agency is required to employ.

“That’s just totally unprecedented. It’s inappropriate,” the speaker said. “I think it’s unconstitutional. I think it’d be a violation of separation of powers. So they’re insisting upon conditions that they know full well cannot be delivered.”

Democrats say their goal is to protect Congress’ constitutional power of the purse amid a DOGE onslaught they believe violates spending laws.

“The law has to be followed,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat.

But Mr. Johnson and other Republicans say Congress has never used the appropriations process to restrict the president’s authority in such a sweeping way and they won’t start now.

“We’ve spent weeks telling [Democrats] we’re not doing anything that limits the president, and they’ve had a hard time accepting that,” said House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, Oklahoma Republican. “I think they’re coming around to the idea we’re not moving, and I don’t think they want the responsibility of shutting down the government.”

With that and the March 14 funding deadline in mind, Republicans are preparing to pass another stopgap spending bill.

The previous Congress, which was split between a Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate, already passed two stopgap funding bills last year extending fiscal 2024 funding levels and policies into fiscal 2025, which started Oct. 1.

The prospect of a third extension that would run through the remainder of the fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, “is becoming inevitable at this point,” Mr. Johnson, citing Democrats’ demand as the hangup to reaching a deal on new fiscal 2025 funding bills.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, agreed.

“It’s looking increasingly, just from the timeline standpoint, challenging to get any kind of a normal appropriations process going,” he said.

Democrats would still need to sign off on another funding extension, known as a continuing resolution or CR. They generally oppose one that runs through the end of the fiscal year, creating an effective year-long CR.

“I’ve been abundantly clear I will not support that,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.

She confirmed that negotiators remained at an impasse regarding the language to protect Congress’ power of the purse but that she will continue to push for a bipartisan deal on new fiscal 2025 funding bills.

“I am not walking away from the table,” Ms. Murray said.

Mr. Cole said he is recommending the House move on the year-long CR next week to give the Senate time to act in case Democrats do decide to filibuster.

He even believes House Republicans, coming off a hard-fought internal compromise on a budget resolution teeing up tax and spending levels for Mr. Trump’s legislative agenda, could unite around a year-long CR and pass it without Democratic support if the president backs it.

If Congress does pass the stopgap-funding measure, Mr. Cole would like GOP leaders to let appropriators continue their negotiations. If they can reach agreement and pass the 12 spending bills, those would supplant the stopgap.

“Congress can always undo what Congress did,” he said.

Mr. Cole said appropriators have an agreement on the “topline,” or overall level of discretionary spending across the 12 bills and how to split that between defense and non-defense accounts but declined to share those figures.

Another appropriator, Rep. John Rutherford, Florida Republican, said the topline the committee leaders agreed to is $1.678 trillion, which would be an increase over the fiscal 2024 levels that would be continued under another CR.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, Maine Republican, said she would prefer not to have a year-long CR but could back one to take a shutdown off the table while broader appropriations negotiations continue, as Mr. Cole floated.

“I think a two-pronged approach makes a lot of sense,” she said.

Ms. Collins said the “bigger issue is the Democrats’ insistence on putting poison pills into the bill that would restrict the president’s authorities.”

“If they pursue that, we’re nowhere,” she said.

Mr. Jeffries said he has not spoken to Mr. Johnson about the impasse, saying the negotiations remain in the hands of appropriators.

He did not take a hard stance against another CR to last out the year, saying if the bipartisan talks did not yield results that Democrats wanted, his caucus would have a conversation on next steps at the “appropriate moment.”

“Republicans have a responsibility to fund the government in a manner that meets the needs of the American people,” he said. “We are going to continue to work hard to ensure that any spending agreement that is reached ultimately looks out for the health, the safety, the national security and the economic well being of the American people.”

While most Republicans have shown no appetite to pass new laws, through the spending bills or otherwise, that would restrict DOGE or Mr. Trump from pursuing deep cuts to the federal bureaucracy, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he hopes they have a change of heart as they are “getting pretty badly pummeled when they go home.”

“They can hide from the town halls, but they know what’s happening out there,” the Connecticut Democrat said.

“You don’t have to be a political genius to hear and see the level of resentment that is rising, and it’s directed at Elon Musk and Congress, which was not exactly a tide of popularity,” he added.

• Alex Miller contributed to this story.

• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.