"This is all extremely delicate," said one Republican leadership aide.

With a quickly swelling list of sponsors, leadership aides in both parties said it was likely to pass the House easily, probably early next week.

Republican leadership aides were skeptical about the prospects for the measure.

"People up here are not amused," a Republican leadership aide said.

The caucus will probably be held next week, leadership aides said.

A Democratic leadership aide said his party had no plans to file new charges.

But even they have been tempered by 12 years in the minority, a Democratic leadership aide said.

"There's no rabbit to pull out of the hat," one Republican leadership aide said.

"We are not going to fill the hole back up," one leadership aide said.