On Friday, March 11,  House Republicans introduced another short-term funding extension. HJ Res 48 will prevent a government shutdown while lawmakers continue to negotiate a long-term plan to keep the government operating for the remainder of FY11.

“A government shutdown is not an option, period,” [House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.)] said. “While short-term funding measures are not the preferable way to fund the government, we must maintain critical programs and services for the American people until Congress comes to a final, long-term agreement.”

Current funding is set to expire on March 18, but this resolution will extend funding until April 8. HJ Res 48 outlines an estimated $6 billion in cuts, a compromise that Democrats have indicated they will accept:

The latest stopgap measure, proposed by House Republicans, makes cuts that are supported by Mr. Obama or congressional Democrats. Among them are $200 million from wildfire-suppression efforts and $200 million of technology funds for the Social Security Administration.

The biggest savings appears to come from taking back $1.74 billion that was left over to fund the 2010 Census and remains unspent.

But both sides say it is crucial for Congress to reach a deal to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. The two sides differ by about $51 billion on how much to cut over the course of the year.

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