US House Speaker Johnson unveils a two-step stopgap bill – media

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Saturday announced a two-step temporary funding measure aimed at averting a partial government shutdown a week from now, U.S. media reported.

The measure employs an unorthodox structure that would provide funding for some segments of the federal government until Jan. 19 and for other agencies until Feb. 2, according to media reports. It was unlikely to win support from Democrats or the White House.

The Republican-controlled House and Democratic-led Senate have until Friday to enact temporary funding legislation, commonly known as a continuing resolution, to keep federal agencies open after current funding expires.

Stopgap measures, known as continuing resolutions or “CRs,” have been used up to now to fund the entire government over a single period of time. The unorthodox two-step structure adopted by Johnson reflected demands from Republican hardliners who have opposed more straightforward measures in the past.

Before Saturday’s announcement, some Republican lawmakers had expressed concern that a complex CR could make it harder to reach agreement with Democrats and increase the risk of a shutdown.