Pelosi, Mnuchin agree to avoid a government shutdown at end of month

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin agreed on Tuesday to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month by taking up a stopgap government funding bill, according to a person familiar with their Tuesday phone call.

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before a hearing of the House subcommittee investigating the federal response to the coronavirus crisis on Capitol Hill, Sept. 1, 2020, in Washington.

The informal agreement would stave off a government shutdown after Sept. 30, and avoid entangling the issue with ongoing coronavirus relief negotiations, which have been at a standstill for several weeks.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at a news conference at the Mission Education Center Elementary School, Sept. 2, 2020, in San Francisco.

The proposal to fund government at current levels could avoid a shutdown before the November election, and potentially through the end of the year, depending on the agreement reached by Democrats and the Trump administration.

MORE: Mnuchin testifies as Senate GOP poised to offer slimmer COVID-19 relief bill

“House Democrats are for a clean continuing resolution,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill told ABC News.

© Graeme Jennings/Pool via Getty Images
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before a hearing of the House subcommittee investigating the federal response to the coronavirus crisis on Capitol Hill, Sept. 1, 2020, in Washington.

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the Pelosi-Mnuchin phone call.

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