A new stopgap spending measure expected to clear Congress this week would keep in place through year’s end the significantly higher loan limits now in place for federally backed mortgage loans.

The limit would be kept at $729,750 for several federal mortgage loan guarantee programs, including those of the Federal Housing Administration, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The provisions extending that limit thru Dec. 31 was part of a continuing appropriations measure that lawmakers plan to send to President Obama by the end of this week.

“While those loan limits aren’t scheduled to go down to $625,500 until Jan. 1, if not maintained at the higher level now, the mortgage industry will begin to plan for loans at the lower amount,” appropriators said in a statement. “This could result in major disruptions in the mortgage origination market for large loan sizes as early as November.”

Fiscal 2010 began Oct. 1, and Congress so far has cleared just four of its 12 regular spending bills — leaving agencies ranging from the Pentagon to IRS and NASA operating in financial limbo.

The top House GOP appropriator objected to using the latest measure to provide additional funding to certain public housing agencies. The measure seeks to prevent about 10,000 families from having their housing vouchers terminated by freeing up extra money left over from the last fiscal year.

Jerry Lewis of California, ranking Republican on House Appropriations, said the provision would reward “gross financial mismanagement.” He said only a “small number” of housing authorities need the aid, while “3,500 did not violate the process” and so do not such help.

Rep. John W. Olver , D-Mass., said the language had been requested by the administration to help replenish the reserves of the local housing authorities, and he objected to Lewis’ characterization of mismanagement by the housing authorities. Olver said that because the incomes of many low-income residents had declined due to the recession, those housing authorities had dipped into their reserves to help tenants pay their monthly rents and keep them from being evicted.