Some developments while you were asleep as Washington barrels toward a government shutdown at the end of the month.

• Donald Trump opposes a short-term spending patch: In a post on Truth Social, the former president said “Republicans in Congress can and must defund all aspects of Crooked Joe Biden’s weaponized Government,” including ongoing federal prosecutions against him. We’ll see how much sway his words have with the broader House GOP conference.
• Escape path? The Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus endorsed a framework that would pass a CR through Jan. 11, 2024 — with the idea that all 12 appropriations bill get cleared by then. It would also include more money for Ukraine in its war against Russia, as well as disaster relief. Our team had more on these talks on Wednesday.
• Key test for the House: Lawmakers will today take what’s ordinarily a routine procedural vote that would allow them to begin consideration of the defense spending bill. But a small bloc of hard-liners took down a similar effort earlier this week, so this will be a crucial first step if the chamber can be successful in passing a CR.
• New shutdown polling: We got our hands on some new polling from the Republican Main Street Partnership, which found 38 percent of voters would blame Republicans for a shutdown, compared to 17 percent for President Joe Biden and 19 percent for Democrats. Another eye-popping stat from the poll: 40 percent of people aged 18-34 are unaware the government could shutdown. (Read more.)

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