Congress scrambling to avert shutdown as plan unveiled to fund government into February

Congressional leaders unveiled a plan Thursday that would keep the federal government funded into mid-February, but it's unclear if the deal would be enough to avoid a rapidly approaching government shutdown on midnight Friday.

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, announced the latest plan, which would go through February 18, and the House is expected to vote as soon as Thursday, though the real issue for quick passage is in the Senate. The only way to avoid a shutdown is for all 100 senators to agree to schedule a vote before the deadline, and some Senate Republicans have threatened to hold up the bill over President Joe Biden's vaccine mandates.

While lawmakers are confident that they can ultimately prevent a prolonged shutdown, a brief shutdown over the weekend, or extending into next week, remains a possibility.