The House Rules Committee has postponed Thursday's planned markup of a rule for H.R. 3, the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act."

The committee has not announced when it might take up the bill. Approval of a rule Thursday was expected to lead to a vote as early as next week, but that schedule has likely been overtaken by the ongoing budget negotiations.

“The question we have to ask ourselves is: Why does Barack Obama ... want a shutdown?” Sen. Mike Lee said.

By a 255-172 vote, the House approved a measure Thursday that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The bill, the Energy Tax Prevention Act (H.R. 910), was supported by 19 Democrats.

For Republicans, the bill is a way to protest the 2007 Supreme Court decision allowing the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide and other non-toxic emissions. The GOP has said this allows the EPA to impose policy decisions through regulation that the Obama administration cannot pass legislatively.

The measure was approved in a 247-181 vote, but looks to be going nowhere in the Senate. 

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) was the first senator to come to the floor Thursday and recommend the upper chamber pass a House GOP bill that would fund the government for another week.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Thursday was given the stiff-arm by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) while asking about the chances of the House passing a clean continuing resolution.

Hoyer asked Rogers during debate on the GOP's one-week spending bill, H.R. 1363, whether the Republicans might accept a clean spending extension, without any of the policy riders in the Republican bill. 

Rogers replied: "What the gentleman is asking [is] if we will continue the status quo. We do not and can not accept the status quo."

When Hoyer asked to clarify his request, he found he was out of time, and asked if he could borrow time from Rogers to further clarify. Rogers ignored Hoyer's request completely, and introduced the next Republican speaker.

"Is that a no, Madame Speaker?" Hoyer asked the presiding officer, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), who chuckled in response.

Majority Leader Cantor said the House would stay in session this weekend, if need be, to address the budget impasse.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he would vote against the Republican's proposed one-week spending bill when it comes up for a vote later on Thursday.

"I've said … that I would not vote for a third one, and I'm not going to vote for this one," Hoyer said. "It won't matter because it's dead anyway, and you all know it's dead."

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) warned on Thursday that, if congressional leaders allow the government to shut down Friday night, it would be an “unmitigated disaster” for the country.

“That [a shutdown] could happen tomorrow night at midnight,” Durbin said. “If it does, it is an unmitigated disaster. There is no winner. No political party can claim they came out ahead in this exercise. It makes us all look bad. And deservedly so. “

Congressional leaders worked through the night in an attempt to reach a budget agreement for 2011 before current funding for the federal government runs dry on Friday night.

"We are now in the countdown phase as to whether the government of the United States, the most prosperous nation in the world, is going to shut down, turn off the lights, close its door and walk away,” said Durbin.