WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lawmakers are considering a short-term fix to avoid a partial government shutdown, punting the budget debate to February.

Though many lawmakers support the temporary measure, they are also openly not thrilled about it. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., says he would prefer to see a long-term plan.

The temporary budget bill does not include any additional funding to help North Carolina and its long-term recovery efforts after Hurricane Florence.

That said, if Congress ends up passing the temporary measure, those lawmakers also say hope is not lost. They will take advantage of the extra weeks, they say, to push their colleagues for more aid.

“We’re going to continue to advocate for funding,” said Democratic congressman GK Butterfield.

Butterfield and Tillis both stressed that FEMA has assured them that there is enough funding right now in the pipeline to deal with immediate disaster recovery.

The fight over the budget in part continues to center on the border wall. The short term plan does not include the $5 billion in wall funding the president wants, and it remains unclear whether he will sign it.

Conservative Republicans in the House, including North Carolina’s Mark Meadows, are urging the president to not approve the temporary measure, arguing that if they do not get wall funding now, it will never happen when Democrats take power in the House next year.

“Punting to Feb. 8 … only gives Democrats a Christmas present, it offers them a Valentine’s Day gift,” Meadows tweeted Wednesday. “Democrats will win, the wall will not be built, and Congress will once again have punted when we should’ve been taking a stand. The time to fight is now. Zero excuse.”

The deadline for a deal is Friday at midnight. If lawmakers do not agree to a plan by then, hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be furloughed or forced to work without pay over the holidays.