House leaders moving on plan to fund government

Dec. 4, 2014: Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., arrives for votes on Capitol Hill in Washington (AP)

House Republican leaders are nearing a deal with Democrats to pass a spending bill that would keep the government running beyond next week.

The strategy follows a piece of legislation passed Thursday by the House declaring President Obama’s executive actions to halt deportations “null and void,” even though some conservatives say the only way to stop the actions would be to forbid them in legislation.

Fearing a government shutdown, Republicans are planning to rely on Democratic votes to keep the government going.

The spending bill would pay for most government agencies for a year, while extending the Homeland Security Department only for a few months. Homeland Security includes the immigration agencies that would carry out Obama's executive actions, so the approach would allow Republicans to revisit them early next year, once they have control of the Senate and a bigger majority in the House.

"We think this is the most practical way to fight the president's action," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said.

Several conservative lawmakers sounded resigned Thursday to being ignored by Boehner, who, with a bigger majority next year, will have more room to maneuver around balky tea party lawmakers.

"My assumption is that the fix is in and they don't need us," said Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz. "They're going to vote this with a large number of Democrats.

The bill would cover one-third of the budget dedicated to daily operations of Cabinet agencies. There is slightly more than $1 trillion for the Pentagon and domestic agencies plus more than $70 billion for overseas military operations.

Most of the money issues are largely worked out, House Appropriations Committee spokeswoman Jennifer Hing said. But many so-called policy riders, on environmental regulations, long-haul trucker hours, labor relations and more, are unresolved.

GOP Rep. Harold Rogers of Kentucky, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, hopes to achieve the framework of a deal with Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, by the end of Friday and release it Monday.

"Until we see the bill, there's no way you can say you support it or not," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report