House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says plan includes $4 billion in spending cuts and would keep government running for two weeks
The Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is proposing a short-term spending bill in an effort to avoid a shutdown of the federal government.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters Friday that the Republican plan includes $4 billion in spending cuts and would keep the government running for two weeks after the current budget extension ends March 4.
Republicans are putting pressure on Democrats to approve the deal or else take the blame for a government shutdown.
The current fiscal year began October 1, but Congress has not passed a budget and has instead approved short-term funding measures to keep the federal government running.
The budget issue is a major source of contention between Republicans and Democrats.
Republicans took control of the House of Representatives this year on a campaign promise to make drastic cuts to government spending. A bill currently under consideration would reduce the budget by more than $60 billion.
But Democrats are resisting cuts to social programs, as well as funding for health care, the Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory bodies.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
