Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, as touched upon up top, the House Republican leadership said it was forging ahead with a stop-gap bill to keep the government funded through Dec. 22 and avoid a shutdown, despite a Monday night push from the conservative Freedom Caucus to move the date past Christmas. Lawmakers emerged from a House GOP conference meeting on Tuesday morning indicating that leaders are leaning toward a two-week continuing resolution (CR).

“Leadership is locked in on Dec. 22,” Freedom Caucus Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) told The Hill.

The Freedom Caucus had protested the strategy and held up a vote on a motion to go conference with the Senate on tax legislation Monday night until they got assurances from leadership that they would consider a longer CR. But leaders appear to be sticking with their original plan.