Washington ( CNN ) Congress is again up against the wire on a bill to avoid a government shutdown . But last-minute brinkmanship , which has become the norm on Capitol Hill , could be in the rear view mirror by Thursday afternoon if House Republicans can find enough Democrats to help them approve a mammoth spending bill . Internal battles among Republicans on spending bills are nothing new . House Speaker John Boehner routinely needs Democrats to help him pass funding bills . But this time House Speaker Nancy Pelosi does n't seem in the mood to help . `` If we do n't finish this today , we 're going to be hear 'til Christmas , '' Boehner threatened at a Capitol Hill press conference . Democratic and Republican leaders brokered a deal on a $ 1.1 trillion spending package to fund the government through September and head off a government shutdown , but many liberal Democrats are bailing on the package . Eleventh hour additions of two policy provisions on campaign finance and banking rules have enraged those on the left who now say the bill is a special interest boondoggle . Related : Surprises hidden in spending bill . The final gasp of the lame duck session is also a pivotal moment for Pelosi , who has publicly criticized the bill and called for those two items to be removed . Republican leaders have refused to make any changes . The top House Democrat has sent strong signals she 's vote against the bill , but Democratic leaders were n't officially urging no votes from their members . `` These provisions are destructive to middle class families and to the practice of our democracy , '' Pelosi said Wednesday , making it clear the bill was unacceptable . Securing support from a significant chunk of Democrats is critical for House Speaker John Boehner because many of the conservatives in his party - as many as 60 -- will likely oppose it . They have insisted the spending bill should try to reverse President Barack Obama 's recent executive actions on immigration . GOP leaders opted to postpone the immigration fight until next year , leading members on the right say they 'll vote no . Related : Democratic backlash threatens spending deal . It 's a gamble for House Democrats if they join unhappy Republicans and take the spending bill down . If it fails to pass GOP leaders , who have no appetite for a government shutdown , will move quickly to pass a three-month extension of current funding levels for federal agencies . Those items that Democratic negotiators fought to get included in this legislation -- and the GOP policy changes to gun laws and environmental policies they opposed and blocked -- will be lost . Democrats would lose any leverage they had on any new deal early next year when both the House and Senate are controlled by Republicans . `` We argued . We debated . We fought , '' said Sen. Barbara Mikulski , D-Maryland , the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and one of the chief negotiators on the spending bill . `` You know - sometimes you give a little , you take a little . '' Many House Democrats emphasize they were initially concerned with the spending deal because it only funds the Department of Homeland Security through February . DHS includes immigration and border control agencies . A new funding battle for DHS in February would tee up a fight over President Obama 's immigration action early next year . The other policy provisions added to the spending bill - one increasing the limit rich donors can give to national party committees , and one rolling back a key financial reform barring banks from using taxpayer-insured money for derivatives trades - have made it even more unpalatable . `` At this point I do n't see many Democratic votes at all for a bill that is so antithetical to the middle class , '' Rep. Steve Israel , D-New York , told CNN before heading into a meeting on the measure on Thursday morning . Other Democrats are taking a more pragmatic approach , stressing they are weighing the good with the bad . `` This may be a hold your nose vote , '' Connolly told reporters , suggesting he could ultimately back the measure and any deal next year would only get worse for the programs he cares about . Connolly 's district is home to tens of thousands of federal workers who got a small pay raise as part of the deal . Related : Lawmakers chip away at campaign finance rules in spending bill . The number two House Democrat , Steny Hoyer , who is in charge of whipping votes , would n't say how he would vote . `` We 're holding our powder dry , '' Hoyer said . House Republican aides feel comfortable that even with large opposition in Democratic ranks they can get enough votes for the measure to eke out its passage . If it passes , the bill will be sent to the Senate , where many of the same divisions exist . While the debate over the measure will echo the bitter partisan tone that 's been the marker of this Congress , one thing unites virtually everyone on Capitol Hill . They all hate the name of the bill -- dubbed the `` Cromnibus '' for a combination of a `` continuing resolution '' and an `` omnibus '' spending bill . `` It sounds like a horrible disease , '' said one House Republican . A Democrat called it the `` Crummy-bus . ''
Government funding is set to run out at midnight . Republicans and Senate Democratic leaders want to pass a catchall spending bill to fund the government until September . Democrats in the House have balked at being included in the bill that will carry out some Wall Street reforms .