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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is planning to vote on Tuesday on a bill that, if passed, will avert a partial government shutdown during the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s term.
Republicans don’t have much support from Democrats, so Johnson thinks Republicans can get the 99-page bill that would fund federal agencies until September 30 passed mostly by themselves.
By Friday, March 14, Congress must take action to keep some parts of the government open. Over the past two years, dozens of conservatives have turned against continuing resolutions. On Saturday, Trump called for Republicans to work together to support the bill.
“The House and Senate have put together, under the circumstances, a very good funding Bill (‘CR’)! All Republicans should vote (Please!) YES next week,” Trump wrote on TRUTHSocial. “Great things are coming for America, and I am asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the Country’s ‘financial house’ in order. Democrats will do anything they can to shut down our Government, and we can’t let that happen.”
“We have to remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right,” Trump added. “VERY IMPORTANT. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Still, some Republicans have hinted that they would not support the CR.
“I’m not voting for the Continuing Resolution budget (cut-copy-paste omnibus) this week,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., posted to X on Sunday. “Why would I vote to continue the waste fraud and abuse DOGE has found? We were told the CR in December would get us to March when we would fight. Here we are in March, punting again! WTFO.”
South Carlina GOP Rep. Ralph Norman said he has never voted for a continuing resolution, but he is on board with Johnson’s effort.
He says he has confidence in Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, to make a difference on the nation’s debt. “I don’t like CRs,” Norman said. “But what’s the alternative? Negotiate with Democrats? No.”
Members of the House Republican leadership talked to reporters about the bill over and explained how it would allow the federal government to spend $892.5 billion on defense and $708 billion on other things.
The aides stressed that the bill was “closely coordinated” with the White House. They didn’t say that Trump fully supported the measure, though, because they said he hasn’t looked over all of the pages yet.
It includes an extra $8 billion for defense, which is meant to calm the fears of people who are worried about national security. However, non-defense spending that Congress normally authorizes would go down by about $13 billion.
Plus, an extra $6 billion will be given to help pay for veterans’ health care.
The White House wants more money to be spent on things that weren’t in the last extension of government funding. These are called “anomalies.” The bill includes extra money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is one of the strange things Trump asked for. Someone in charge said that the money is to cover “an operations shortfall that goes back to the Biden administration.”
“That money, most of that, has already been obligated prior to the start of this administration. So that request reflects an existing hole,” a source said.
The bill also makes sure that the spending limits set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), which was agreed upon by both parties, are followed. The FRA said that the government could only raise spending by 1% in FY 2025.
House GOP leadership aides said that getting rid of some “side deals” made during FRA negotiations would help cut spending on things other than defense. Also, lawmakers would not be able to ask for money for “preferred projects” in their districts, which are known as “earmarks.” This is another area that Republicans see as a savings.
The bill doesn’t cover most of the government’s costs, like Medicare and Social Security. Congress does not regularly look over the money that is given to these two programs; it is set to “autopilot.” Still, on Saturday, the leaders of the Democratic Party said they were worried that the bill did not do enough to protect those programs and Medicaid, which Republicans want to use to help pay for extending tax cuts that were passed during Trump’s first term.
“We are voting no,” a trio of House Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, both Democrats who are in charge of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, both spoke out against the bill.
Murray said the legislation would “give Donald Trump and Elon Musk more power over federal spending — and more power to pick winners and losers, which threatens families in blue and red states alike.” DeLauro, in an X post, called the CR “a power grab for the White House.”