AMNA NAWAZ: Some news from Capitol Hill even as Congress is out of town.

"NewsHour" has learned that bipartisan negotiators may reach a spending deal in the next few days.

But that may not be soon enough to avert a partial government shutdown just a few days after that.

This has been a familiar plotline in recent years.

But Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins joins us now to explain that this spending showdown has some unique features to it.

So, Lisa, let's start with the timeline.

And forgive me.

I feel like I have asked you this before, but when would a government shutdown begin?

And what, if anything, makes this showdown unique?

LISA DESJARDINS: This has been as kind of repetitive as sort of the sunset and sunrise in American politics, but this time is a little bit different.

And I'm going to show you why looking at the timeline.

It is shorter than even you might imagine.

So let's look at the calendar.

When you talk about today, here we are, February 22.

Congress is out of town.

Now, the first deadline comes next Friday.

And that's the first different feature.

These spending deadlines are split in two.

Four different kinds of appropriation bills have their deadlines end next Friday, must be passed by that or those kinds of agencies will shut down.

Then there's a second deadline on March 8 after that.

Now, here's what makes it really very difficult to imagine them reaching that first deadline without some short-term deal, because Congress doesn't return, as I said, until next week, the Senate on Monday, but the House, Amna, does not return to Washington until next Wednesday afternoon.

That will give them a day-and-a-half, two days to come up with some kind of solution to meet that first March deadline.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, Lisa, walk us through what agencies and programs would be impacted, who would be affected and when, according to those deadlines.

LISA DESJARDINS: Right.

We wanted to start talking about this now because we think next week is going to be busy.

It's going to feel more like a crisis.

We wanted to just calmly explain what could happen here.

That March 1 deadline, these are the kinds of agencies we're talking about agriculture, energy, transportation, housing, and veterans, the VA. Now, that includes in those agencies, WIC, the program for food for mothers and infants, as well as the FDA itself.

Now, the March 8 deadline, that is all of the remaining agencies.

Where is the bigger portion of government at risk?

It's March 8.

That's about 80 percent of what government does or about -- what federal agencies do.

So that's the biggest, bigger chunk, the bigger concern.

But that in a way, Amna, makes that March 1 deadline more precarious.

Some in the House will say, well, listen, it's not all of government.

It's not even most of government.

So perhaps we can afford to have a short shutdown after March 1.

Now, let's also talk about some bigger-picture issues here to help people understand.

There is a possible spending deal this weekend.

I have that reporting from multiple sources involved in the House and Senate.

But even if they have the outlines of a deal from appropriators, it is hard to see how that full deal for all of the spending that they need to pass can actually get through the House and Senate by March 1.

Now, if there is no long-term deal at all passed by April 30, there will be a 1 percent cut for federal agencies.

That is part of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, that debt deal, remember, led by Kevin McCarthy and with Chuck Schumer last year and President Biden.

That was trying to motivate members of the House and Senate to get all of these spending bills passed on time.

They said, if you don't pass these spending bills, there will be a cut.

It's having a bit of the opposite effect.

Some conservatives say, great, let's not spend them, and let's, in fact, do have a 1 percent cut.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, Lisa, take us behind the scenes to some of the politics unfolding here.

As you talk to lawmakers, what's your sense of what the chances are of a shutdown happening next week?

LISA DESJARDINS: We're watching the House Freedom Caucus.

And I spoke to several members of that group today.

They sent out a letter yesterday, really a warning shot to Speaker Johnson, saying they wanted an update on this whole thing.

But when you dig beneath the surface, what's really happening here, while it was a politely worded letter, is, there are conservatives, and they're connected to Donald Trump, in fact, including from his son, who sent out this e-mail today, saying what he got from that letter was that Republicans in the Freedom Caucus were ready to trigger a shutdown.

And, indeed, Amna, I did talk to at least one member of the Freedom Caucus who said, yes, I think it's worth a shutdown, and we should try and head that direction if we can't get spending cuts, which no one thinks is possible in the next week.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, Lisa, Speaker Johnson is overseeing one of the narrowest House majorities in history.

What does all this mean for him?

LISA DESJARDINS: This is his biggest test.

He's been able to put off these huge decisions where his own conference is split.

He will have to decide in the next few days if he wants to put forth a short-term resolution or not.

And, of course, after that, he's got a major, very difficult decision on Ukraine funding as well.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that is Lisa Desjardins with the latest twists and turns from Congress.

Lisa, thank you.