Meadows: ‘I don’t see a shutdown happening’

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said Thursday he does not believe there will be a government shutdown, as lawmakers race toward a stopgap spending bill to keep the government’s lights on into the new year.

“I don’t see a shutdown happening. We were negotiating into the late hours to make sure that we at least have 218 votes on the House side and send it over to the Senate hopefully as early as today,” Meadows said on CNN’s “New Day.”{mosads}

Meadows said in the interview that the negotiations are ongoing, but the House hopes to vote on the bill Thursday or Friday morning. He added that a vote has yet to be scheduled.

“So all of those viewers that are looking and talking about a shutdown right now, really need to be assured that there going to be able to enjoy Christmas without a government shutdown,” Meadows said.

Meadows previously said several members of the Freedom Caucus decided to support the bill after leadership promised a future separate vote on reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The government has until Friday to pass a bill and avoid a shutdown before the Christmas holiday.