The "one caveat," he continued, was Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) attempt to reverse a bill provision that cracked down on the sale of some "intoxicating hemp provisions."
"If that provision is removed then … I can't support the bill," Harris said. "We have to close the 2018 Farm Bill loophole that allows hemp-derived products to be sold with intoxicating THC levels. And in many states, it's even sold to children. We have to reverse that."
On Sunday night, the Senate ended its weeks-long deadlock over government funding. With the exception of Paul, eight Democrats joined all Republicans in breaking a filibuster on a revised funding plan.
All eyes are on Paul to see if he will drag out the process in protest of the hemp clause, but it is likely that the Senate will reach a unanimous decision to proceed swiftly on the legislation.
Overall, though, Harris stated that the legislation package "looks pretty favorable" based on what he has observed thus far, adding that the other members of his right-wing House GOP caucus probably shared this opinion.
"We're still unpacking the entire package, but with the exception of the [reversal of federal layoffs], I think that the members are pretty favorable toward … the rest of the package,"
Harris said.
Additionally, it would advance legislation to support the legislative branch, the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and military construction.
Three of the twelve separate legislation that make up Congress's yearly appropriations are grouped into what is known as a "minibus."
In a win for Democrats, the agreement would also undo federal layoffs carried out by the Trump administration in October, compensating those employees for their lost time.
Additionally, it ensures that Senate Democrats will have a chance to vote on legislation to prolong Obamacare subsidies, which were strengthened during the COVID-19 period and are scheduled to expire at the end of this year.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said both publicly and privately that he would not promise Democrats a vote on the enhanced Obamacare subsidies in the House in exchange for their support.
Harris told Fox News Digital that he did not believe such a vote would pass the House or Senate.
"The COVID-era extensions, I think there is no way that that passes either chamber," he said, referring to "clean, straight-up extensions"
specifically.
How would removing the hemp provision affect House support for the bill?
Removing the hemp provision from the Senate spending bill would probably reduce or exclude support from crucial House rightists, particularly those like Representative Andy Harris who have tied their backing to the addition of a crackdown on intoxicating hemp products.
The provision redefines legal hemp to count intoxicating cannabinoid products similar to delta- 8 THC by setting a strict THC limit and banning numerous synthetic or intoxicating hemp- deduced products current in the booming hemp assiduity. Sympathizers argue this crackdown closes loopholes exploited by manufacturers to sell limited, intoxicating products to minors, addressing public health and safety pitfalls.
Removing this provision would incense those rightists who see it as essential to guarding children and icing nonsupervisory clarity, therefore weakening bipartisan agreement in the House and potentially venturing the bill's passage.