After days of chaos, Republicans may be coalescing around a party-line spending package heavy on conservative wish-list items.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy, grasping for G.O.P. votes to bring spending bills up for debate, proposed a new measure with deeper cuts to appease the hard right, paving the way for a clash with the Senate.

But House Democrats have begun discussions with other moderate Republicans on a fallback plan if the stopgap bill falls through. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

House Republicans continue to work behind closed doors on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, as they try to find a plan that they can unite behind that will keep the government funded and avert a looming government shutdown.