House Speaker Paul Ryan thinks his chamber will not be the one to cause a government shutdown.
The Wisconsin Republican on Thursday said he believes the House will have the votes to pass a massive bipartisan budget deal announced by Senate leaders on Wednesday. Opposition quickly mounted to the plan in the House on both sides of the aisle.
“I think we will get this done. I feel good about it,” Ryan told the Hugh Hewitt radio show.
Government funding will lapse for the second time in less than a month if Congress cannot pass a funding bill by midnight Thursday. The Senate is expected to take the first step toward avoiding a shutdown this afternoon, then send legislation to the House.
The budget deal would boost spending on military and domestic programs by roughly $300 billion over two years. It would also extend the debt ceiling and authorize about $70 billion in aid for last year’s string of natural disasters.
Entering Thursday, opposition on both sides of the aisle threatened to sink the budget agreement in the House. Some conservatives railed against the spending increases. Some Democrats, meanwhile, said they would oppose the bill unless Ryan committed to an open floor debate on legislation to protect hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation.
“Part of it depends on the Democrats, this is a bipartisan bill,” Ryan told Hewitt about getting the support need to pass it. “It’s going to need bipartisan support. We are going to deliver our share of support. I feel very good about Republicans.”
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
