Eliza Collins

USA TODAY

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., believes most of the members of the hard-line Freedom Caucus would vote for a short-term government funding bill, even if that bill does not include money for a wall along the southern border.

“Generally speaking in talking to a number of my members, if there was a vote for a continuing resolution next week that did not include the border wall funding, the majority of those members would be supportive of that," said Meadows, who chairs the Freedom Caucus, on an ABC News’ “Powerhouse Politics" podcast Tuesday. “We’re calling on our leadership to go ahead and pass a funding bill the first week back." The House returns from their August recess next week.

A continuing resolution is a stop-gap measure that would fund the government at existing levels for a few weeks or months while lawmakers negotiate a longer-term deal to last through September 2018. Current government funding expires Sept. 30.

Meadows' approach seems to break with the president, who Meadows is close to. Last week during a rally in Phoenix, the president said that he’d be willing to close down the government if there is no funding for one of his signature campaign promises.

Meadows didn’t rule out an eventual fight but said it could wait until January or December given the devastation from Hurricane Harvey.

The House has already passed a partial spending package for national security programs that includes a $1.6 billion down-payment for the border wall. House Republicans intend to add that package to a larger spending bill that the House could vote on and send to the Senate.

Contributing: Erin Kelly