House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks with the media following a conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representative could move soon to consider a bill to fund the government for a week to avoid a shutdown at midnight on Friday and buy time to strike a deal for a long-term funding plan, a House Republican source said on Wednesday.

A one-week bill would give lawmakers “a little breathing room” to complete negotiations on broader legislation, the source said.

Democrats have said they would support a weeklong extension only if a deal on a longer-term plan was close to completion, and a senior House Republican suggested that was the case.

“We could get there today, we are not very far away,” Representative Tom Cole, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters.