House Narrowly Passes Stopgap Spending Bill, but Shutdown Fight Looms
Republicans managed to push through legislation to fund the government through Dec. 4. But with Democrats opposed, the stage is set for a broader battle.
House Republicans on Tuesday pushed through a stopgap spending bill to keep government funding flowing through early December, moving months ahead of time as they braced for a shutdown confrontation with Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.
But the fate of the measure was deeply uncertain, with Democrats opposed and the Senate G.O.P. leader casting doubt on the chances of quick action in his chamber, where legislation needs some degree of bipartisan backing to move.
On a 220-to-205 vote, mostly along party lines, the House approved the kind of emergency temporary spending measure that normally is advanced mere days or hours before federal funding is set to lapse in order to avert a shutdown. But this time, House G.O.P. leaders offered the so-called continuing resolution months in advance of the Sept. 30 deadline, effectively daring Democrats to oppose it.
“They’ve shown there’s nothing they love more than a government shutdown, as tens of millions of Americans head to the polls in November,” Speaker Mike Johnson said at a news conference at the Capitol. “But this clean C.R. is an opportunity for both sides.”
Six Democrats, most of whom are facing tough re-election battles in November, voted with Republicans to pass the legislation: Representatives Kathy Castor of Florida; Henry Cuellar of Texas; Don Davis of North Carolina; Jared Golden of Maine; Vicente Gonzalez of Texas; and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico. One Republican, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, opposed it.
