With just under a month until the next government shutdown (sigh), Republicans are locked in an increasingly messy internal battle over how to keep federal agencies funded, as competing strategies in the House, Senate, and White House collide over spending priorities, foreign aid, and political leverage.

Congress has until Sept. 30 to pass new legislation to avoid a lapse in funding, but the GOP - which controls the White House, House, and Senate - remains fractured on a path forward. This isn't just about keeping the lights on, but also the balance of power within the Republican Party itself, as President Donald Trump’s latest move to rescind nearly $5 billion in foreign aid has inflamed tensions within the Senate and complicated delicate negotiations, Punchbowl News reports.

While Republicans control all levers of government, they are far from unified:

This divide sets up a high-stakes battle within the GOP and against Democrats, with each faction maneuvering to avoid taking the blame if the government shutters.

Fueling the chaos is President Trump’s decision to issue a "pocket rescission" canceling nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, a move that has enraged Senate Democrats and rattled some top Republicans. 

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the maneuver 'flat-out illegal' and said her counsel is reviewing potential legal challenges. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) warned the move could derail bipartisan negotiations:

“I think it can give Democrats a reason not to work with us on a bipartisan appropriations bill. That’s got me concerned,” Rounds said.

Making the rescission issue extra spicy; the Senate is preparing to mark up the State Department–Foreign Operations funding bill next week - one of the very accounts targeted by Trump’s cuts. With immigration and border security funding also in the mix, appropriators face an increasingly combustible set of issues.

Speaker Johnson is under pressure from both establishment Republicans and the hard-right Freedom Caucus as he tries to corral votes for any funding deal.

House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) supports a short-term CR into late November, tied to a handful of full-year funding bills, which would include spending for Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and the Legislative Branch, leaving continuing negotiations over the remaining appropriations.

But conservatives are pushing back hard, The Hill notes:

For Thune, the goal is to protect the Senate’s bipartisan traditions and keep Democrats at the table. He believes moving regular appropriations bills, even at higher spending levels than Trump’s budget — will put political pressure on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his caucus.

“If the Democrats are interested in funding the government, we’re going to give them every opportunity to do that,” Thune told Punchbowl, promising to bring more funding bills to the floor this month.

However, the rescission fight threatens to blow up that strategy. Collins’ criticism signals a rare Republican split in the Senate, while Democrats, furious over Trump’s foreign aid cuts, may be less inclined to cooperate on Thune’s bipartisan path.

Despite frustration with Trump’s rescission, some Democrats are signaling support for pairing a short-term CR with several full-year appropriations bills to avoid a shutdown.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said she supports attaching three bipartisan bills; for Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and the Legislative Branch, to a short-term deal:

“As part of a bipartisan, short-term CR, I support conferencing those three bills and passing them with a short-term CR for the remaining nine bills,” Murray said.

The White House has also struck a cautiously conciliatory tone, acknowledging that a short-term CR is “increasing in likelihood” but continuing to press for a longer solution that avoids repeated deadlines.