Republicans working to avoid a shutdown after passage of tax bill

— -- As they celebrate the passage of their ambitious rewrite of the tax code, Republicans are moving closer to a government shutdown -- without a clear plan to fund the government past midnight Friday.

House GOP leaders have not scheduled a vote on a previously drafted proposal to fund the government through mid-January and the military for a full year, which would give more time for negotiators to work out a spending cap deal.

That agreement met resistance in the House over concerns about voting for $81 billion in disaster relief without offsets to the spending and the potential addition of a measure meant to stabilize Obamacare health insurance markets.

Gary Cohn, President Donald Trump's top domestic policy adviser, said at an event hosted by news website Axios Wednesday morning that the White House would support a continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels through January.

That move would punt all the thorny issues lawmakers are grappling with into January, including health care, immigration and spending caps. But it would also be a delicate balancing act for House GOP leaders working to satisfy conservatives, appropriators and advocates of robust defense spending in their conference.

One roadblock to a deal appeared to be lifted Wednesday when Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., announced that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., agreed to take up their measure to help lower health insurance premiums in January, when the Senate will also be considering a massive spending bill.

“There is every reason to believe that these important provisions can and will be delivered as part of a bipartisan agreement. And Majority Leader McConnell has told us that he will uphold his commitment to schedule and support the legislation,” Alexander and Collins said in a statement.

House Republicans will meet behind closed doors Wednesday evening to discuss a path forward on a government funding plan.

Congress is also working to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a controversial measure that allows the National Security Agency to conduct surveillance on phone calls and emails of foreigners overseas -- negotiations that also complicate the passage of government funding.