The U.S. Capitol Constructing on Feb. 10, 2025.
Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR
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Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR
With simply days to go earlier than a authorities shutdown deadline, Home Republicans have launched a 99-page stopgap invoice they hope will attain President Trump’s desk earlier than some authorities funding runs out on Friday.
It is unclear if they’ve the votes to approve the plan. Republicans have tight margins within the Home and Senate, and might have Democratic votes.
Nonetheless, Congressional GOP leaders have conveyed confidence within the transfer, and so they now have President Trump’s backing.
“All Republicans ought to vote (Please!) YES subsequent week. Nice issues are coming for America, and I’m asking you all to offer us a couple of months to get us by to September so we will proceed to place the Nation’s ‘monetary home’ so as.” Trump wrote in a social media put up Saturday.
The president argues that passing this funding extension will ease the trail towards enacting the remainder of his legislative agenda: a large, partisan spending plan that features an extension of a tax reduce program handed beneath his first time period.
The invoice launched Saturday will fund the federal government by Sept. 30 and supply a slight enhance to protection spending whereas making a reasonable reduce to non-defense packages. That indicators Republicans are hoping to cross the invoice with out substantial Democratic assist.
Democrats had beforehand indicated that any spending adjustments to protection and non-defense spending would want to go in the identical route, both each rising or each lowering.
Republicans might want to keep largely united to cross the plan with tight margins in each chambers. Within the Home, Speaker Mike Johnson might have just one Republican “no” to spare.
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie initially stated he is planning to vote in opposition to the invoice, earlier than seeing the textual content. It would not embrace an general 1% funds reduce, a provision Massie noticed included in a Home Guidelines package deal beneath former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“I am going to vote in opposition to a clear CR that funds all the pieces in 2025 at 2024 ranges,” Massie stated on X lately. It’s unclear whether or not the cuts to non-defense spending may earn again his assist.
Nevertheless, different fiscal hawks who had beforehand sworn off counting on these stopgap invoice — additionally referred to as persevering with resolutions or CRs — in lieu of passing full authorities funding packages are altering their tunes. The group is a small however significant share of the Republicans’ razor-thin majority.
Rep. Ralph Norman, a member of the Home Freedom Caucus, stated Elon Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity has modified all the pieces. “I do not like (persevering with resolutions). What’s modified is the DOGE fee is arising with issues that the American individuals are seeing,” stated Norman, R-S.C. “In order that’s why … I will be voting for it,”
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who has additionally been an opponent of stopgap payments, is now prepared to assist a plan that retains spending at 2024 ranges. He made the remarks after a White Home assembly with Trump that included different fiscal hawks to debate the plan.
“I am open to it,” Burchett stated. “I need to see what’s in it.”
Home Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., is not a fan of stopgap payments himself. Nevertheless, he lately instructed NPR it could be the most suitable choice with time working out on bipartisan negotiations for a bigger spending deal.
“We have tried to lean over backwards to ensure none of our guys submit something that … places the Democrats in robust spot,” Cole stated of the stopgap invoice writing course of. “I imply, I do not need them to have the excuse to vote no.”
Nevertheless, Democrats have largely signaled they are not able to bail out Republicans this time. In assertion Saturday, rating member of the Home Appropriations Committee, Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro, referred to as the CR a “energy seize for the White Home.”
DeLauro’s predominant grievance is that this long run persevering with decision halts negotiations for full-fiscal 12 months spending payments.
“By primarily closing the e-book on negotiations for full-year funding payments that assist the center class and shield our nationwide safety, my colleagues on the opposite aspect of the aisle have handed their energy to an unelected billionaire,” DeLauro said, referring to Elon Musk.
Home Democrats had been additionally circulating a doc, which was obtained by NPR, detailing why they need to vote in opposition to the GOP’s yearlong plan.
Even when Speaker Johnson is ready to cross the invoice by the Home this week with out Democratic assist, it can nonetheless want a minimum of seven Democratic senators to again it in an effort to clear the chamber’s de facto 60-vote threshold and attain the president’s desk for a signature.
NPR’s Eric McDaniel contributed reporting.
