The House is expected to vote on Wednesday or Thursday on the FY 2015 Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep federal government funded through December 11th. The Senate hopes to follow that with a vote by the end of the week. This will allow members to vacate the Capitol until after the November elections. But first the House has to pass the measure, which is not without controversy. The measure will likely include an amendment that would authorize the Obama administration to train and arm Syrian rebels against the insurgent terrorist organization known as ISIS, though some lawmakers would like to give the President broader authority to use force. Disagreements also linger on the length of the CR as well as an extension of the Export-Import Bank’s charter.
A defeat on the measure would force the leaders to scramble to find another way to move a CR to avoid a shutdown when the new fiscal year begins October 1st.