Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday the House of Representatives will vote this week on a three-month stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government open until Dec. 20.

If the measure goes into effect, the government could avoid a shutdown that would begin early next month without congressional intervention.

In a letter to his colleagues, Louisiana Republican Johnson said the “legislation will be a very narrow, stripped-down CR, containing only those extensions that are absolutely necessary.”

“While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most sensible course of action under the current circumstances,” he continued. “As history teaches and recent polls confirm, shutting down the government less than 40 days before a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.”

Congress has just over a week to pass short-term funding legislation, also known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), to avert a government shutdown on October 1 at 12:01 a.m. If the House of Representatives passes the bill, it will go to the Senate.

The plan promoted by Johnson does not include any part of the SAVE Act, a law that requires proof of citizenship for voter registration. Johnson had previously tried to link the law to a six-month interim measure, but the House of Representatives rejected the plan last week.

The bill provides an additional $231 million for the Secret Service “for operations necessary to conduct protective measures, including the 2024 presidential campaign and national special security events.” It requires the Director of the Secret Service to submit a spending plan to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

The Rules Committee is scheduled to consider the CR at a meeting Monday afternoon. The bill will likely be considered in the House on Wednesday, according to a House Republican leadership aide.

A spokesman for the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement that “the administration is pushing for swift passage” of the bipartisan measure.

“This short-term CR will keep the government running and give Congress more time to finalize full-year funding legislation that supports our national defense, veterans, seniors, children and working families, and meets the most urgent needs of the American people, including communities recovering from disasters,” the spokesperson continued.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) said in a statement that while he was “pleased” with the outcome of the bipartisan negotiations, he criticized Johnson's handling of the situation.

“While I am pleased that bipartisan negotiations quickly led to an agreement on government funding without cuts and poison pills, the same agreement could have been made two weeks ago,” Schumer said in a statement. “Instead, Speaker Johnson chose the MAGA route and wasted precious time.”

Schumer had previously told reporters on Sunday that there was a “really good chance” that there would not be a government shutdown at the end of the month.

“We now have really good news: There is a really good chance that we can avoid the government shutdown with all the pain it would mean for New York and America this week,” Schumer said.

Last week, House Republicans rejected their own plan to avert a shutdown, dealing Johnson an embarrassing blow and jeopardizing efforts to fund the government for six months. With less than 50 days to go before the presidential election, discussions about how to keep the government running are particularly tense.

On Sunday, Schumer said he was “closer” to an agreement with Johnson.

“I'm ready to sit down at the table. I've spoken with Speaker Johnson, his staff and my staff over the last four days and we're getting closer and closer to an agreement,” Schumer told reporters.

“We can get this done, but we cannot afford delays,” he said, adding: “We cannot allow anyone on either side of the aisle, Democrat or Republican, to stand up and say: If I don't get my way, I'm going to shut down the government. We cannot allow that to happen. That would have too serious consequences for the American people.”

Schumer made the comments after calling Johnson's previous strategy of passing both a CR Act and the SAVE Act “unworkable” and urging him to abandon it in a speech last Tuesday.

Johnson has struggled in recent weeks to get his caucus to agree on a budget, especially after former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to shut down the government if they failed to tie legislation to the SAVE Act, a law related to voting and elections.

“Unless Republicans in the House and Senate receive absolute assurances on election security, THEY SHOULD NOT PASS A CONTINUING BUDGET RESOLUTION. … PASS IT!!!” Trump wrote on his social media page Truth Social earlier this month.

Last week, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky sharply criticized the idea of ​​a government shutdown, especially so close to the election.

“It would be politically beyond stupid if we did that just before the election, because of course we'll get blamed for it,” McConnell said, adding: “We've seen that before. I'm for anything that prevents a government shutdown, and that will obviously ultimately lead to a discussion between the Democratic leader and the Speaker of the House about how to prevent a government shutdown.”