WASHINGTON — The House narrowly passed a stopgap funding bill on Friday — only for it to be rejected by the Senate hours later as the government careens toward a shutdown at the end of this month.
The House measure passed 217-212, with Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine joining 216 Republicans in voting “yea.”
Two GOP lawmakers — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana — voted against the bill.
The spending bill funds the government at current levels through Nov. 21, at which point Republicans may again have a point of leverage with the Thanksgiving recess fast approaching.
“I am willing to vote for a CR of any duration—short or long—the least damage to the Republic, but I cannot support one that ends funding right before a major holiday to jam us with an Omnibus. I’ve seen this playbook too many times,” Spartz wrote on X Sunday.
Friday’s legislation earmarked $58 million in extra funding for the security of federal officials and judges, with $30 million set aside for the executive branch and $28 million for Supreme Court justices.
Another $30 million will be placed in a fund to reimburse local law enforcement with help protecting members of Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated earlier this week that a standalone bill with even more taxpayer-funded security measures could be brought up for a vote in October.
Democrats in both chambers of Congress, however, oppose the funding bill and vowed not to support it without further provisions protecting ObamaCare subsidies.
“We are a hard ‘no’ on the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) declared in a press conference before the vote.
“Democrats are fighting hard to cancel the cuts. Democrats are fighting hard to lower the cost. Democrats are fighting hard to save your healthcare.”
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Those Affordable Care Act tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year after having been expanded during the Biden administration, likely driving up the cost of out-of-pocket health care premiums.
Some Dems have also opposed the Trump administration’s push for Congress to pass another $5 billion in rescissions of previously approved foreign aid and peacekeeping spending.
Another effort led by Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) to include funding for federal grants to local law enforcement was also rejected.
“I will continue to fight for this critical funding and urge Leadership to advance and emphasize the need to restore funding for our local law enforcement in any bipartisan government funding negotiations,” Gillen said.
Three House Democrats didn’t cast a vote: Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington State, Adam Gray of California and Jefferson Shreve of Indiana.
Senate Democrats struck a deal with Republicans to put their own funding measure on the floor later Friday. That was rejected in a 47-45 vote that failed to clear the 60-vote filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) placed the House Republican bill on the floor after that — but that failed to get a majority, with 48 voting against and 44 backing the measure.
Moments later, House Republican leaders announced that there would be no more votes until Oct. 1, forcing the Senate to either reconsider their funding bill at a later date or face a government shutdown at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30.
“Congressional Republicans, including [Senate Majority] Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson, are working on a short term ‘CLEAN’ extension of Government Funding to stop Cryin’ Chuck Schumer from shutting down the Government,” Trump had posted on his Truth Social Monday.
“In times like these, Republicans have to stick TOGETHER to fight back against the Radical Left Democrat demands, and vote ‘YES!’ on both Votes needed to pass a Clean CR this week,” he said.
The White House also urged the GOP to support the bill in a separate policy statement Wednesday.
“President Trump opposes a Government shutdown,” that statement read, “and every Member of Congress must support passage of this clean, short-term CR to keep the Government open as discussions on full-year appropriations continue.”
