House Republican leadership unveiled bill text Saturday to fund the government through September and avert a partial government shutdown set to occur after midnight on March 14.
The 99-page stopgap funding bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), will fund government operations for the remainder of the fiscal year. The government funding plan has widespread backing in the House Republican conference and is the product of close coordination with the Trump administration to ensure the government is spending less money, according to House GOP leadership staff.
House Democrats are expected to oppose the stopgap funding bill and have criticized GOP lawmakers’ refusal to insert language in the text hamstringing President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) authority to cut wasteful spending.
The bill text is “clean” and contains a minimum amount of extraneous language to fund the government through a full-year CR, according to House GOP leadership staff.
The CR reduces spending below fiscal year 2024 levels and does not include additional emergency funding, disaster declarations or policy riders that have tanked prior stopgap funding bills. The CR text includes an additional $6 billion for veterans healthcare and provides modest increases for defense spending and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding to patch an operating shortfall that started under the Biden administration.
Nondefense spending is notably reduced $13 billion below FY24 levels and the CR also includes a request to rescind $20 billion in IRS enforcement funding.
The CR will continue to fund government agencies Trump and his DOGE have moved to dismantle, including USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. However, House Republicans are intent on implementing DOGE cuts in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process.
Senate Republicans, including Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, pushed Elon Musk to craft a rescission package that would allow Congress to rescind allocated funds by a simple majority vote in both chambers, during a Senate GOP luncheon with Musk Wednesday.
With a majority of House Democrats expected to oppose the CR, Speaker Mike Johnson will need near unanimity from GOP lawmakers to pass the CR given their 218-214 majority.
Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who frequently votes against government spending bills and opposed the GOP budget resolution that narrowly passed the House on Feb. 25, announced he will vote “no” on a CR.
Trump met with GOP fiscal hawks at the White House on Wednesday to gauge their support for a CR. House Freedom Caucus chairman Andy Harris told the Daily Caller News Foundation that funding the government through a CR will allow House Republicans to prioritize passing the president’s first-year legislative agenda through the budget reconciliation process.
The stopgap government funding bill will need support from at least eight Senate Democrats to overcome the upper chamber’s filibuster given Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s pledge to oppose a CR. Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has said he will never vote to shut down the government, effectively giving the GOP-backed plan at least one Democratic vote.
House Democratic leadership signaled they will oppose the CR — and the GOP’s efforts to keep the government open — in a “Dear Colleague” letter published Friday.
“House Democrats would enthusiastically support a bill that protects Social Security, Medicare, veterans health and Medicaid, but Republicans have chosen to put them on the chopping block to pay for billionaire tax cuts,” House Democratic leadership wrote. “We cannot back a measure that rips away life-sustaining healthcare and retirement benefits from everyday Americans as part of the Republican scheme to pay for massive tax cuts for their wealthy donors like Elon Musk. Medicaid is our redline.”
The CR text does not touch Medicaid or any mandatory spending program and provides $6 billion in additional funding for veterans’ healthcare, according to House GOP leadership staff.
House GOP’s campaign arm slammed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for coming out against the CR Friday.
“House Democrats admitted they wanted a government shutdown, and now they’re following through,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella said. “They’re deliberately making our country less safe and less prosperous just to score political points. House Democrats will always put politics over people.”
Trump endorsed a CR approach to keep government operations running during a Truth Social post Wednesday.
“Government funding runs out next week, and Democrats are threatening to shut down the Government – But I am working with the GREAT House Republicans on a Continuing Resolution to fund the Government until September to give us some needed time to work on our Agenda,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on March 5, urging GOP lawmakers to support a CR. “Conservatives will love this Bill, because it sets us up to cut Taxes and Spending in Reconciliation, all while effectively FREEZING Spending this year, and allowing us to continue our work to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. VERY IMPORTANT – Let’s get this Bill done!”
House GOP leadership is expected to tee the bill up for a floor vote as early as Tuesday
Featured Image Credit: Martin Falbisoner
