By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-03-12 08:36:26 | Updated at 2025-03-12 15:23:13
6 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // The Republican-led House narrowly passed a stopgap funding bill Tuesday, preventing a partial government shutdown set to begin this weekend.
The measure, which keeps federal agencies funded through Sept. 30, passed in a 217-213 vote, with one Republican voting against it and one Democrat crossing party lines to support it.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where at least seven Democrats must support it if they wish to avoid a funding lapse by Friday.
Tuesday’s vote marks a shift for several Republicans who have traditionally opposed stopgap measures, also known as continuing resolutions (CRs). The bill’s outlined cuts in government spending convinced all but one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, to vote in favor.
Tuesday’s vote was the first time Rep. Tim Burchett, R-TN, supported a CR. “It’s the first time I’ve been here… that we’ve actually voted to decrease the size of government,” he said, according to Reuters. He credited President Donald Trump for influencing his decision, adding, “Leadership’s never lied to me, and Trump’s never lied to me.”
Moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine backed the measure.
Democrats had complained of the bill’s spending reductions for domestic programs and increased funds for defense, veterans’ care, and border security. Reuters also reported Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, claimed the bill “is not a simple stop-gap that keeps the lights on and the doors open. This is Republican leadership handing over the keys of the government, and a blank check to Elon Musk and to President Trump.”
Though some Senate Democrats have voiced opposition, others are signaling they may vote for the measure to prevent a shutdown that could disrupt financial oversight, scientific research, and the pay of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
The vote comes just weeks after the House passed a broader budget plan Feb. 25, a measure hailed as the first major legislative victory for the new Trump administration in Congress. That plan set the stage for deep spending cuts and restructured federal priorities in alignment with Trump’s call for a smaller government.
Trump’s influence was evident again in Tuesday’s vote, with Vice President JD Vance urging Republican lawmakers in a closed-door meeting to remain unified. Since returning to office, Trump’s administration has aggressively pursued reductions in the federal workforce, with more than 100,000 government employees either laid off or taking buyouts. Additional cuts are expected in the coming weeks.
With the bill now in the Senate’s hands, Democratic lawmakers have until Friday to join Republicans in passing the measure to prevent a government funding lapse.
