WASHINGTON — The House narrowly passed a bill Tuesday to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, marking the first step to avoid a shutdown just days before the deadline.
Lawmakers voted largely along party lines, with nearly all Democrats opposing the measure. However, Republican leaders managed to persuade enough of their own members to support the resolution, even those who are generally opposed to short-term spending bills.
The bill passed 217-213. Only one Democrat voted in favor: Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.
The continuing resolution published on Saturday extends current government funding levels through the end of September, relieving lawmakers from finalizing the 2025 fiscal year budget nearly halfway into the fiscal calendar. The funding levels are lower than maximum caps laid out for the FY2025 budget but adheres to the levels agreed to in the FY2024 budget.
The proposal, referred to as a “yearlong CR,” has the support of President Donald Trump, who played a massive role in getting the resolution through the lower chamber.
Trump puts pressure on Republican lawmakers
At the start of the week, there were a number of Republican lawmakers who remained unconvinced. Because of the party’s small majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., could only afford to lose one Republican’s support, otherwise the CR would fail.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., came out early against the proposal, giving Johnson virtually no room for error on the matter. Massie was the only Republican to vote against the measure.
That prompted Trump to start making phone calls to holdouts throughout the day on Monday, a source familiar with those efforts told the Deseret News. Those conversations were the make-or-break component for some members.
“(Trump) is the difference maker. I would never support this language, but I do trust Donald Trump,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said on Tuesday. “I think that he is a man of his word, and so I believe him when he says he’s going to get it done.”
Another initial holdout, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said he he spoke in depth with the president ahead of the vote and that Trump “did commit to me that we would see reductions in the future.”
Vance plays role in keeping government open
Vice President JD Vance also spoke with holdouts, appearing at Republicans’ weekly conference meeting on Tuesday morning. During that meeting, Vance urged Republicans to back the CR, calling it a necessary step to allow Trump to continue his efforts to slash government spending, according to lawmakers inside the room.
While Vance acknowledged the CR “isn’t exactly what we want, this doesn’t pretend to solve every issue we have but it allows us to get to the real game which is reconciliation,” said one Republican lawmaker, who was granted anonymity to discuss a closed-door discussion.
Republican leaders continued whipping support for the CR in the hours leading up to the vote, arguing the measure was the best path forward to ensure Trump’s agenda is not stalled.
“This allows us to focus on tackling the waste, fraud, and abuse without any poison pills,” said Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee. “I’m going to support the CR and then get to work as a new appropriator on making sure we’re doing our constitutional duty of controlling the purse strings and appropriating.”
Will senators vote to keep the government open?
The CR now heads to the Senate where it will need at least 60 votes — meaning a handful of Democrats will need to cross party lines to pass. At least one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he would vote against the CR, which would require at least eight Democrats to support the measure. One Democrat has said he would vote for the CR, arguing a shutdown “will impact and punish millions and millions of Americans.“
“If (Democrats) want to do that, that’s on them, but I’m not going to be a part of it,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said on Tuesday.
However, several Democrats have demanded provisions stating Trump must allocate the funds that are approved by Congress, decrying attempts by the new administration and DOGE to freeze appropriations and block them from going toward federal agencies.
Republicans have balked at these demands, claiming they infringe upon Trump’s authority as president to spend government funds as he pleases. Now, GOP leaders are accusing Democrats of seeking to shut down the government — something that could be disastrous for vulnerable Democratic senators seeking reelection next year.
“I think the interesting thing will be to see if Democrats filibuster into a shutdown,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters on Tuesday. “It is on them if this happens.”
That puts the onus of avoiding a government shutdown on the shoulders of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the rest of the Senate Democratic caucus.
And the Senate won’t have much time to work with. House leadership announced it would cancel previously scheduled votes for Wednesday, leaving town for a weeklong recess on Tuesday evening. That leaves the state of government funding in the hands of the Senate, effectively daring Democrats to vote for a shutdown.
It’s not yet clear when the Senate will vote on the measure, but it could be as early as Wednesday. The government is scheduled to enter a shutdown after midnight on Friday.
