House Republicans say they have deal to avert government shutdown

Key House Republicans said Thursday afternoon that they had reached a short-term government funding deal designed to avert a shutdown that would have begun late Friday night.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., was among the lawmakers who walked out of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s offices in the Capitol and told reporters an agreement had been reached.

“We have an agreement, we expect to have a vote,” Cole said, according to NBC News. Cole did not offer additional details of what the deal looked like.

The announcement capped a chaotic day of negotiations and noise on Capitol Hill, as Republicans worked to rescue what they could of a massive spending package that had been carefully negotiated so that it could pass the Republican controlled House and the Democratic controlled Senate.

But that deal fell apart after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk panned it.

This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.