WASHINGTON – The House later this week is expected to take up a measure free of controversial riders to keep the U.S. government open while members hit the campaign trail for seven weeks.

Fiscal 2014 funding will run out Sept. 30. The House is leaving next week to focus on November's midterm elections; the Senate is expected to depart Washington the following week for the same reason.

That means both chambers need to send President Obama a government-funding measure before the upper chamber splits.

The first step in doing so, and averting a government shutdown that Democratic and GOP leaders oppose, came Tuesday evening when House Republicans rolled out a "clean" continuing resolution.

The temporary government-funding bill is considered "clean" because it is free of policy provisions that could cause Senate Democrats to kill the entire CR — or the president to veto it.

A senior House GOP aide tells CongressWatch it likely will hit the floor for debate and a vote on Thursday.

The House measure would fund the Pentagon and other government agencies at current levels through Dec. 11 while adhering to federal spending caps, according to a House Appropriations Committee summary of the CR.

Pentagon leaders, pro-military lawmakers and industry executives oppose CRs because it leaves the Defense Department unable to start new acquisition programs, award multiyear contracts, fire up new production lines, and other things.

"We have reached the point where a continuing resolution is necessary to keep the government functioning and avoid another shutdown," Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky, said in a statement. "It is a critical piece of legislation, and my committee has crafted the bill in a responsible, restrained way that should draw wide support in the House and Senate. This bill is free of controversial riders, maintains current levels, and does not seek to change existing federal policies.

"However, this is a temporary, imperfect measure that does not reflect the changing needs of the nation or new budget priorities," Rogers said. "In order to adequately address the country's real and urgent budgetary requirements, it is imperative that Congress fulfill its constitutional duty and enact actual, line-by-line appropriations legislation for the next fiscal year."

According to the committee summary, the "clean" CR does contain several special provisions for the Pentagon, aimed at ensuring responses to new threats are being funded, including:

■"A provision to extend expiring Department of Defense activities, including counterdrug operations, support to the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, and rewards for assistance in combating terrorism."

■"A provision to continue a surge in funding for State Department programs to counter regional aggression toward Ukraine and other former Soviet Union countries." ■

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