The continuing resolution that Congress must take up Friday in order to fund the federal government and keep it up and running contains a provision postponing Congress's annual pay raise for the life of the measure, an addition made by House Republican leaders late Thursday.

Throughout their successful campaign to regain control of Congress, Democrats repeatedly vowed to block lawmakers' annual pay raise - which occurs automatically every Jan. 1 unless prevented - until a minimum-wage hike becomes law. While the continuing resolution only ensures a forfeit of the pay raise until Feb. 15, Democrats appear on track to secure a minimum-wage increase by that point.

A senior House GOP leadership aide said leaders decided collectively to add the pay-raise postponement late Thursday. Incoming House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-Wis.) said Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had asked Republicans to include the block.

The continuing resolution will replace an earlier stopgap spending measure that expires at midnight Friday. The White House budget office would receive authority under the measure to redistribute funding "to avoid furloughs for those agencies which suffered significant unintended cuts during floor consideration," according to a summary of the continuing resolution released by the House.