House To Hold Vote On FY24 Minibus Package At 10:50 ET 14:50 GMT

10:50 ET 14:50 GMT: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has confirmed that the House of Representatives will vote on the appropriations package to fund the outstanding six FY24 bills through September and avert a government shutdown at midnight tonight. The House is in session and floor proceedings can be followed here.

• Despite an aggressive campaign from the House Freedom Caucus, the package is expected to pass however there are some variables which may complicate passage. An unknown number of progressive Democrats may vote no in protest of Israel aid. There is also some concern that GOP opposition may not be confined to the hardline conservative flank after senior appropriator Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) announced last night he’d vote no.
• If the House clears the package, it will pass to the Senate where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will attempt to fast-track the package by unanimous consent. Any one Senator can delay this process but the usual suspects (Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)) haven’t explicitly stated they will do so, despite panning the package.
• Working in Schumer’s favour: Congress is scheduled to depart on a two-week recess today. Senators dislike working on weekends, especially ahead of a recess with state business and Congressional delegations planned.
• A short government shutdown is possible, but there is no political will to significantly delay the process so a potential lapse in appropriations would likely be resolved over the weekend and economic impact would be negligible.