WASHINGTON — With time running short to avoid a government shutdown at the end of next week, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson are pitching Republicans on a stopgap bill that would keep federal dollars flowing at current levels through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

The idea is something of a surrender by Republicans, as it would maintain spending at levels enacted under former President Joe Biden and does not account for the cuts being made by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. But the president and speaker are embracing it as a way to avoid a politically damaging shutdown fight among Republicans while still affording Trump wide latitude to slash spending on his own in defiance of Congress.

“Conservatives will love this Bill, because it sets us up to cut Taxes and Spending in Reconciliation, all while effectively FREEZING Spending this year,” Trump wrote Wednesday on social media. It is unclear whether the plan could pass before midnight on March 14 and avert a shutdown.

— The New York Times