FILE PHOTO: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters ahead of a vote to pass the American Relief Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 19, 2024. The legislation failed to pass the House in a 174-235 vote. REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Friday they would vote to keep the federal government operating beyond a midnight deadline and avert a damaging shutdown that could disrupt the Christmas holiday.
"We will not have a government shutdown," House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters.
