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 just a few 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 post 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 lower program handed below his first time period.
The invoice launched Saturday will fund the federal government by Sept. 30 and supply a slight increase to protection spending whereas making a reasonable lower to non-defense applications. That indicators Republicans are hoping to go 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 course, both each growing or each lowering.
Republicans might want to keep largely united to go 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 towards the invoice, earlier than seeing the textual content. It does not embrace an general 1% price range lower, a provision Massie noticed included in a Home Guidelines package deal below former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“I will vote towards a clear CR that funds every thing in 2025 at 2024 ranges,” Massie said on X not too long ago. It’s unclear whether or not the cuts to non-defense spending may earn again his assist.
Nonetheless, different fiscal hawks who had beforehand sworn off counting on these stopgap invoice — additionally known 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 every thing. “I do not like [continuing resolutions]. What’s modified is the DOGE fee is arising with issues that the American persons 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 keen 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 wish to see what’s in it.”
Home Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., is not a fan of stopgap payments himself. Nonetheless, he not too long ago instructed NPR it could be the most suitable choice with time operating out on bipartisan negotiations for a bigger spending deal.
“We have tried to lean over backwards to verify 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.”
Nonetheless, Democrats have largely signaled they don’t seem to be able to bail out Republicans this time. In assertion Saturday, rating member of the Home Appropriations Committee, Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro, known as the CR a “energy seize for the White Home.”
DeLauro’s fundamental 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 defend our nationwide safety, my colleagues on the opposite aspect of the aisle have handed their energy to an unelected billionaire,” DeLauro acknowledged, referring to Elon Musk.
Home Democrats have been additionally circulating a doc, which was obtained by NPR, detailing why they should vote against the GOP’s yearlong plan.
Even when Speaker Johnson is ready to go the invoice by the Home this week with out Democratic assist, it’ll nonetheless want not less than seven Democratic senators to again it with a view 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.
