House Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled plans for a government funding stopgap through September 30 — a measure intended to stave off a potential shutdown on Friday and buy time for Donald Trump and GOP leaders to steer key pieces of the president’s agenda through Congress this summer.
What’s in the proposal: While GOP leadership aides stressed that the plan includes no partisan policy add-ons, it does include certain White House funding requests, such as some new money intended to help carry out additional deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
GOP leadership aides said Saturday that it would increase defense spending by about $6 billion but drop domestic spending by about $13 billion.
Trump backs the bill: The president has endorsed the measure.
“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 posted on Truth Social.
Trump said Sunday that a government shutdown “could happen” but that it would be Democrats’ fault, and that he believes the proposed government funding stopgap bill will ultimately pass.
Republicans weigh in: Some Republican lawmakers are publicly indicating they’ll support the plan, including Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus, which could typically present roadblocks for Johnson.
Roy defended the proposal on Sunday, telling Fox News it was a way of “keeping the lights on” for Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to continue their sweeping cuts to federal agencies while keeping spending at current levels.
Others are so far non-committal. GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick told CBS on Sunday that he is still “digging through” the measure and would have preferred a bipartisan proposal.
What Democrats are saying: In an ominous sign for Congress’ ability to stave off the shutdown, House Democratic leaders quickly slammed the door on supporting the measure. That could leave Johnson with virtually no room for Republican defections.
“The legislation does nothing to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, while exposing the American people to further pain throughout this fiscal year. We are voting No,” Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement Saturday.
There are already signs the bill could face trouble in Congress’ upper chamber, too: Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey accused Johnson of abandoning ongoing bipartisan talks on funding the government.
“Republicans are in charge of this process now,” Kim told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
