The US government is on the verge of a shutdown, and Congress is seeking a way out: the Senate plans to extend spending for 45 days, while the House may force a vote on a temporary funding bill.

With only five days left until the September 30th deadline for the US government shutdown, members of the US Congress are making their own efforts to pass the relevant spending bills that will determine the fate of the shutdown.

On Tuesday, September 26th, Eastern Time, media reports cited informed sources as saying that negotiators from both the Republican and Democratic parties in the US Senate were close to reaching a short-term agreement to maintain government funding. This agreement would extend the funding deadline by 45 days, allowing the government to continue operating after the start of the new fiscal year on October 1st.

Although the 45-day extension is shorter than the initially sought-after December deadline by the Democrats, it may help the bill to pass in the House of Representatives and temporarily avoid a federal government shutdown.

At the same time, moderate Republican members of the House of Representatives are preparing to join Democratic members in launching the so-called "discharge petition" procedure, which has only been successful twice in this century. This procedure would force a vote on a temporary funding bill to extend government funding until January 11th of next year. Two-thirds of Republican House members have already endorsed this bipartisan proposal.

However, the media pointed out that even if the discharge petition is effective, Congress can force a vote within nine "legislative days," which may not be able to pass the bill before the government shutdown, and it may still be unable to avoid a shutdown.

In addition, House Speaker and Republican leader McCarthy will face a difficult choice and consider whether to allow a vote on the new Senate bill in the face of demands from hardliners within the Republican Party.

Some media believe that the actions of the Senate and the House of Representatives are quite different. The Democratic-controlled Senate plans to vote on a bipartisan bridge financing bill to keep the government running and give negotiators from both parties more time to reach a full-year spending plan.

McCarthy's goal is to appease the opposition from hardliners within the Republican Party. To do this, his first priority is to push for the passage of four full-year spending bills that meet the demands of the conservative faction within the party. However, even if these bills are passed, they may not provide funding for the entire government to avoid a shutdown. Moreover, these bills may not necessarily be passed, as hardliners blocked the bill last week and some say they will continue to oppose it in the future.

If McCarthy can overcome the above challenges, most of this week will likely be spent on debates, leaving little time to finalize a temporary funding bill before Sunday.