Lawmakers are pushing a one-week funding bill to prevent a government shutdown as leadership continues to negotiate a larger agreement.

On Wednesday night, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen Rodney Procter FrelinghuysenBottom line Republican lobbying firms riding high despite uncertainty of 2020 race Ex-Rep. Frelinghuysen joins law and lobby firm MORE (R-N.J.), the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, introduced the one-week bill to fund the government through May 5, predicting leadership would announce a long-term deal shortly.

"This continuing resolution will continue to keep the government open and operating as normal for the next several days, in order to finalize legislation to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year," he said in a statement.

He said he expected "a final funding package will be completed soon."

Lawmakers have until Friday night to pass the short-term funding bill and prevent a shutdown.

The legislation would likely need to pass through the House first, because of rules governing funding bills, before being taken up by the Senate.

Sen. Thad Cochran William (Thad) Thad CochranEspy wins Mississippi Senate Democratic primary Bottom Line Mike Espy announces Mississippi Senate bid MORE (R-Miss.), the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, urged his colleagues to support the short-term legislation on Wednesday night.

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“We’ve made substantial progress on an agreement to complete the 2017 appropriations process. Let’s pass this new continuing resolution, and make good use of this extra time to enact overdue legislation to provide for national defense and meet our country’s needs," he said in a statement.

Cochran said he expects both chambers to be able to pass the short-term bill ahead of the midnight Saturday deadline.

Senate leadership had downplayed the chances of a stopgap continuing resolution earlier this week, arguing that lawmakers still had time to agree to an omnibus bill — which would fund the government through Sept. 30 — under the tight deadline.

"I don't want to start talking about a short-term [continuing resolution] on a Tuesday. We're hoping to reach an agreement in the next few days on how to process the entire bill through Sept. 30," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMcConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled McConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security Warren, Schumer introduce plan for next president to cancel ,000 in student debt MORE (R-Ky.) told reporters during his weekly leadership press conference.

But as negotiations dragged on, lawmakers were increasingly expected to need to use a short-term bill to give more time to finalize negotiations

Lawmakers hinted this week that they would be willing to support a short-term continuing resolution as long as its aim was to give negotiators more time to work out a larger agreement.

"The theory was if we could reach an agreement, we would give them next week to finish it, the paperwork," Sen. Dick Durbin Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinMcConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Top GOP senator calls for Biden to release list of possible Supreme Court picks MORE (D-Ill.) told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

The fight over a long-term deal has largely focused on two issues this week: funding for President Trump's border wall and ObamaCare subsidies for insurers known as cost sharing reductions, which help make health insurance more affordable for some customers.

Lawmakers are expected to leave money specifically for the border wall out of the funding bill after Democrats warned they would oppose any legislation that included the provision, which they consider a "poison pill."

"Democrats have always been for border security. ... We may address border security in this bill as well, but it will not include any funding for the wall, plain and simple," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerMcConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security Warren, Schumer introduce plan for next president to cancel ,000 in student debt Schumer lashes out at Trump over 'blue states' remark: 'What a disgrace' MORE (D-N.Y.) said from the Senate floor earlier Wednesday.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appeared to make progress Wednesday with the White House on ObamaCare's cost-sharing reduction payments, which was the largest outstanding issue stopping lawmakers from getting a deal.

Trump administration officials told Democrats they will continue to provide federal funding for ObamaCare insurer subsidies, and Pelosi signaled on Wednesday that she would accept Trump’s unilateral offer, bringing the sides closer to a deal.

“Our major concerns in these negotiations have been about funding for the wall and uncertainty about the [cost sharing reduction] payments crucial to the stability of the marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act,” Pelosi said.

Democrats also want help for Puerto Rico, which is facing an ongoing debt crisis, and an extension of healthcare guarantees for thousands of miners and their families. Without congressional action, they will lose their health insurance at the end of the month.

McConnell told reporters earlier this week that he wants a permanent fix on the miners issue to be included in a final agreement.

"I'm in favor of a permanent fix on miners healthcare. It's my hope that that will be included in the final package," McConnell told reporters.

The short-term continuing resolution would also extend healthcare for the miners through May 5.