Story highlights Congressional aides say they don't expect Congress to leave town until late Friday

Republicans will need at least some Democratic votes in order to pass the bill

Washington (CNN) After this week's tax vote, the spotlight will shift to a vote on a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown by midnight Friday.

Republicans have repeatedly said there will be no shutdown, but they're not able to say how they will definitively avoid one with a number of competing interests at stake in both chambers.

There's chatter of potentially kicking the can down the road again and passing a short-term continuing resolution that lasts until January, so that members have more times to discuss rather than jam a bill in just before Christmas.

Regardless, aides have said they don't expect Congress to leave town until Friday.

Among the complications:

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