Republican leaders are preparing a new, longer continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government as the shutdown enters its fourth week.

The current “clean” CR through Nov. 21, repeatedly rejected by Senate Democrats over health care disputes, is seen as insufficient to complete full-year appropriations.

GOP leaders are debating new deadlines, with late January emerging as the most supported option, though some hard-line Republicans favor a full-year CR to block spending increases.

Appropriators, however, oppose a yearlong stopgap, arguing it would derail progress on setting new spending levels.

A mid-December CR has been floated but faces pushback from conservatives who fear it could lead to a rushed omnibus spending bill before the holidays.

Speaker Mike Johnson has resisted recalling the House, using the delay to pressure Democrats into accepting the GOP’s current funding plan.

Senate Minority Leader John Thune warned that continued inaction could force Republicans into a “long-term CR mode,” which he called undesirable.

Johnson acknowledged that the Nov. 21 deadline might not allow enough time for appropriators to finish their work, The Hill has reported.

Negotiations on several key appropriations bills have stalled due to Senate Democrats’ objections during the shutdown.

With the standoff at 22 days—the second-longest in U.S. history—both parties remain divided, with Democrats demanding health care concessions and Republicans refusing to negotiate until the government reopens.