House Republicans hold conference call to avert government shutdown, pass defense spending bill

There has been 'good progress' between Freedom Caucus members and other Republicans, sources say

House Republicans held a members-only conference call with Freedom Caucus members on Sunday night in an attempt to avert a government shutdown, Fox News has learned.

The goal of the call, which took place at 8 p.m., was to agree on a continuing resolution to fund the government for another month. The Freedom Caucus and House Republican leadership have been disputing over what a funding package could look like.

Before the call took place, sources told Fox News Digital that there has been "good progress" between Freedom Caucus members and other Republicans. 

The interim spending bill, which is good for 31 days, is expected to renew current funding while incorporating more border and immigration-related spending. The House aims to vote on it on Thursday.

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Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to reporters as he leaves a Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on September 13, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The continuing resolution would also fund veteran and military spending at current levels, while marking a 1% cut from FY 2023 discretionary spending levels. House Republicans are hoping to pass their defense spending bill this week.

The defense spending bill will also be coupled with House Resolution 2 (HR 2), which is intended to limit asylum provisions and tighten up border security.

Notably, the defense bill does not include additional disaster relief money for Ukraine, which has been requested by the White House.

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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during the House Freedom Caucus news conference to oppose the debt limit deal outside of the US Capitol on Monday, May 30, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Main Street Caucus Chairman Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Vice Chair Stephanie Bice (R-OK), and Executive Board Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) told Fox News that they are working with Freedom Caucus members to build support for the continuing resolution.

"Congress must keep government open and secure the border," the statement read. "That’s why we’ve worked with leaders of the House Freedom Caucus to introduce a 31-day continuing resolution laser-focused on fixing the crisis at our southern border.  

"We want to thank members of both the Republican Main Street Caucus and House Freedom Caucus, as well as a broad cross-section of other members from across the Republican conference for their contributions to this effort," the statement added.

SEPTEMBER 12: Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) speaks during a news conference with members of the House Freedom Caucus outside the U.S. Capitol on September 12, 2023, in Washington, DC. The Freedom Caucus members said they will not support a stopgap spending measure to fund the government unless several conservative policy priorities on immigration and other issues are attached. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)