Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives were in discussions on Tuesday about how long to fund the federal government in a short-term spending measure expected to come to a vote as early as Wednesday.

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"I feel like we`re going to have a majority ... for passing the CR (spending measure) we have this week," House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters after a closed-door meeting with fellow House Republican members.

"We`re having a good conversation with our members about timing and date ... and all the rest," he added.

The conservative House Freedom Caucus, which has enough members to block legislation, has pressed Republican leaders to consider a spending measure that expires on Dec. 30, eight days later than the Dec. 22 deadline that House and Senate Republicans have been discussed up to now.

Ryan said the end date of the measure, known officially as a continuing resolution, or CR, would become known when it reaches the House floor.

But House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions told reporters his panel will consider a continuing resolution that expires on Dec. 22 when it meets for a hearing at 2 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Wednesday.

Several other House Republicans, however, said members were still debating whether the funding would expire on Dec. 22 or on Dec. 30, after the Dec. 25 Christmas holiday.

"It’s still being negotiated," said Representative Greg Walden.

(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)