When Congress struck a deal a month ago at the 11th hour to avoid a government shutdown, the stopgap funding covered just 45 days.

That clock – complicated by the three-week House shutdown caused by the GOP’s intra-party Speaker squabble – continues to tick along.

The government has funds to operate until Nov. 17.

Another stopgap bill, in Congressman Glenn Thompson’s view, appears likely.

Thompson said such a measure is needed for the House to complete the typical appropriations process.

He said he’s “anticipating something that will take us through mid-January. I would be ok with longer than that.”

Thompson said he’s supportive of the idea that there “needs to be some incentive” for the Senate to undertake its appropriations work.

The appropriations process includes 12 bills – agriculture, commerce, defense, energy and water, financial services, homeland security, interior, labor, legislative, military construction and veterans affairs, state and transportation.

Thompson said the House has sent two to the Senate.

“We’re really going through them,” he said. “We’re staying in Washington and doing appropriation bills which is the way it should be.”

While few members are likely to want to see a one percent automatic cut to what doesn’t get done, Thompson said he’s “supportive of that” in this stance “if that’s what it takes (to get) the US Senate to do its job.”

He said he can “live with” a cut like that but is “hoping we can get our work done and don’t have to do that.”

AID TO ISRAEL, UKRAINE

One of the more prominent pieces of whatever deal gets struck will be the issue of military aid for both Israel and Ukraine.

“My priority at this point is Israel,” Thompson said. “I have always been supportive of Ukraine. The Ukraine government has a reputation of corruption. My support for Ukraine is from this perspective – I want to see the Ukrainians defeat Vladimir Putin and the Russians.”

Thompson expressed a concern that Ukraine falling would shift Putin’s focus to another nation – potentially a NATO member. That would draw American forces into the conflict.

“I do not want to see American soldiers on the battlefield, drawn into another prolonged war with anyone,” he said. “I want the Ukrainians to defeat the Russians and Putin. I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished.

It’s not his view that aid for the two countries will be linked in the House.

“Last week we did a resolution to support Israel,” he said, projecting that a “supplemental appropriation to support Israel” could come this week.

He said he is “not opposed to continued support for Ukraine” but acknowledged the political challenge of putting the two in the same legislation.

Congress has about two-and-a-half weeks to strike a deal to fund the government.

Will the nation go to the shutdown brink this time?

“I sure hope not,” Thompson said. “Hopefully, in a bipartisan way we can avoid that.”