A deal being proposed by Speaker of the House John Boehner that would fund most of the government through next September 30 has met with the approval of soon to be ex-Majority Leader in the Senate Harry Reid, clearing the way for Congress to avoid a government shut down.

Boehner's plan, known as "Cromnibus," would fund 11 government departments for the next fiscal year, while the Department of Homeland Security would only be funded through March. The funding for DHS would be revisited in the new Congress with a GOP majority at which time it is hoped that Republicans can find a way to defund the president's amnesty executive order.

The Hill:

If the spirit of compromise holds, it could give GOP leaders in the House and Senate what they have long wanted: a chance to “clear the decks” for their new majority in January.

The key issue is the government funding bill, and Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) strategy for avoiding a shutdown and ending the 113th Congress won surprising support Tuesday from Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), who suggested the proposal would be “a big accomplishment.”

Reid’s support makes it much more likely that Boehner’s proposal of a “cromnibus” could become law.

The proposal, which Boehner relayed to his conference in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, ties 11 appropriations bills funding most of the government through September to a separate, shorter-term continuing resolution (CR) funding the Homeland Security Department through March.

The short-term funding for Homeland Security is intended to respond to pressure from Republicans outraged over President Obama’s executive actions granting legal status to up to 

5 million illegal immigrants.

By only funding immigration-related agencies for a short time, lawmakers could revisit the issue next year when both the House and Senate are under GOP control.

And the Speaker indicated to his members that the House would vote as soon as Thursday on a measure by Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) that would allow Republicans to voice disapproval of Obama’s immigration move.

Passing Yoho’s measure would be largely symbolic, however, since it would go nowhere in the Democratic-led Senate.

Not everyone is ready to stop fighting, however.

After Boehner presented the plan, a number of conservatives questioned why the party is poised to fund the government through September when it will have complete control of Congress in a matter of weeks.

They argue a short-term funding measure would let a GOP House and Senate take on Obama over immigration in January.

Leadership is “asking us to fund the president’s unconstitutional lawlessness. That’s a bridge too far for me. I won’t vote to do that,” Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an outspoken opponent of immigration reform, said in an interview. “Our best chance to protect the Constitution and defeat the president’s lawlessness between now and Dec. 11 is by de-funding.”

The government will shut down if Congress does not approve a new funding measure by Dec. 11.

Reid's support is crucial because Boehner is probably going to need at least a half a dozen Democrats in the House to vote for his plan. With the Senate majority leader running interference for his fellow Dems by approving the plan, it's likely that the measure will receive enough Democratic support in the House and Senate to pass.

There's plenty of opposition to the plan on the right. But even some opponents say they'll vote for it, keeping their powder dry for the showdown in March over DHS funding for amnesty when a GOP majority might be able to throw a roadblock in front of the amnesty plan.

The White House has been silent on the short term funding plan for DHS. But clearly, if Obama wants to shut down the government by vetoing the bill, even many Democrats would balk. If not, it would be hard to spin a government shutdown being the fault of Republicans when Boehner's plan received bi-partisan support. For that reason, Obama will probably reluctantly sign the CR.