House passes GOP funding bill; Senate up next
House passes bill to fund government through September
The House on Tuesday passed a Republican-led bill to fund the government through September in an effort to avert a shutdown. It now heads to the Senate ahead of a Friday deadline.
WASHINGTON - The House narrowly passed legislation to avert a partial government shutdown on Tuesday.
The bill will fund federal agencies through September. It’s headed for the Senate, where bipartisan support will be needed to get it over the finish line.
The vote came out at 217-213.
What’s in the bill?
Dig deeper:
Lawmakers said the bill would trim $13 billion in non-defense spending from the levels in the 2024 budget year and increase defense spending by $6 billion.
These changes are rather flat for both categories when compared with an overall topline of nearly $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending.
The bill does not cover the majority of government spending, including Social Security and Medicare. Funding for those two programs is on autopilot and not regularly reviewed by Congress.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., moved ahead on the bill, essentially daring Democrats to oppose it and risk a shutdown that would begin Saturday if lawmakers failed to act on the continuing resolution, often referred to by lawmakers as a CR.
US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Republican from Louisiana, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 11, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
What they're saying:
"We did our job today," Johnson said moments after the vote.
The other side:
Democrats worried about the discretion the bill gives the Trump administration on spending decisions. They are already alarmed by the administration's efforts to make major cuts through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, run by billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk. And they say the spending bill would fuel the effort.
What they're saying:
"It is not a simple stopgap that keeps the lights on and the doors open," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. "This is Republican leadership handing over the keys of the government, and a blank check to Elon Musk and to President Trump."
Next is the Senate
What's next:
In the Senate, they'll need support from at least eight Democrats to get the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk.
It's one of the biggest legislative tests so far of the Republican president's second term, prompting Vice President JD Vance to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning to rally support.
Plan B
Democrats also introduced an alternative bill Monday night funding the government through April 11. The bill could serve as a Plan B if the GOP-led effort falters.
"If the government shuts down with a Republican House, Republican Senate and Republican president, it will be solely because the Republicans have moved forward with a terrible, partisan, take-it-or-leave-it bill," said Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y.
Dig deeper:
The spending bill could also have major ramifications for the District of Columbia's government.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said the proposal would require the district to cut $1.1 billion in spending in the next six months since it has already passed a balanced budget and is midway through its fiscal year. That means, officials said, cuts to critical services such as education and public safety.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered. The Associated Press. This story was reported from Los Angeles.