The House narrowly passed a continuing resolution on Tuesday, just days before the Friday funding deadline. The CR is now headed to the Senate, and it’s up to the Democrats to avert a government shutdown.
The CR was passed in almost a party-line vote, 217-213, with Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky the sole Republican holdout. Nearly every single Democrat, with the exception of Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted to tank the CR, which was spearheaded by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Donald Trump.
With just days until the shutdown deadline, we will see if Democrats would rather vote for the Trump-backed CR or shut down the government altogether.
“Today, House Republicans stood for the American people and voted to maintain funding the paychecks for our troops, the agents who secure our borders, the TSA workers responsible for safe air travel, as well as the healthcare and benefits for veterans, and essential services and programs that keep the government operational,” Johnson said in a statement Tuesday. “But House Democrats decided to double down on partisan politics.”
The CR itself is a clean 99-page funding bill with certain provisions boosting ICE and defense funds. Despite those increases, the bill reduces spending by $13 billion compared to fiscal year 2024. Because of these cuts, several House Republicans who were on the fence were persuaded to pass the bill.
A lot of the legwork was done behind the scenes in the days leading up to the vote. White House officials like OMB Director Russ Vought met with fiscal conservatives and some members of the House Freedom Caucus to pitch the Trump-backed CR, as Blaze News first reported. Trump also met with the same group of Republicans, many of whom have a history of voting against CRs.
Despite their track record, many Republicans got on board with the most recent CR. The House Freedom Caucus, which is largely composed of spending skeptics, endorsed the CR the night before the vote. HFC Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) even made a rare appearance alongside the Republican leadership in a presser Tuesday morning.
So while House Republicans fall in line behind Trump and the GOP leadership, the pressure now weighs on Senate Democrats. Republicans adjourned immediately after the CR’s passage, leaving the Senate to take up the bill without the opportunity to make any amendments.
The Senate will need at least 60 votes to pass the GOP-led CR. Meanwhile, Republicans hold just 53 seats. Assuming all Republicans back the CR — and there are currently some holdouts — at least seven Democrats will need to reach across the aisle to avoid shutting down the government. So far, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is the only Democrat to have signaled support for the CR.
With just days until the shutdown deadline, we will see if Democrats would rather vote for the Trump-backed CR or shut down the government altogether.
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