On Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson secured a win for President Donald Trump by getting the House to approve a Republican-backed measure designed to maintain government funding.
The legislation was passed by lawmakers with a vote count of 217-213, where only oneRepublican congressman, Rep. Tom Massie from Kentucky—who has often been at odds with Trump—voted against it.
Democrats criticized the divisive legislation and accused Republican leadership of relinquishing their legislative power to an equally authoritative executive branch dominated primarily by Elon Musk, one of the wealthiest and most recognized individuals globally known for his controversial ownership of a major social platform.
“This bill is about giving Trump power,” veteran Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer fumed during floor debate.
The bill was passed mere days before the Friday midnight cutoff to avoid shutting down the government. This legislation ensures funding remains intact until September, adding an extra $8 billion for defense but reducing non-defense expenditures by approximately $13 billion. Additionally, it allocates several billion dollars towards ICE operations as part of implementing Trump’s plan for extensive deportations.
However, the legislation encountered an unclear path forward in the Senate, as the Republican-led proposal would require the backing of at least seven Democratic senators to clear Congress and reach the President’s desk for signing into law.
“We plan to wait and see what actions the House takes first,” stated Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier on Tuesday.
Representative Rosa DeLauro, who leads the Democratic side of the House Appropriations Committee, criticized the six-month government funding bill as a Trojan horse.
“She stated that this isn’t just about maintaining basic operations with the lights on and doors open,” referring to the legislation developed by Johnson and supported by Trump. “What we’re seeing here is Republican leaders essentially giving control of the government to Elon Musk and President Trump without any restrictions. Just as the White House mentioned, this bill provides greater leeway for this administration to further erode constitutional principles and violate numerous spending regulations by diverting funds meant for American families, kids, and enterprises.”
However, her Republican colleague, Appropriations Chairperson Tom Cole, charged that the opposing party was letting “their disdain for the president overshadow their judgement” and were throwing a “politicized fit.”
Several Republican legislators expressed doubts in the days and hours before the voting commenced, with Massie at the forefront. Despite potential primary challenges encouraged by the president, he declared his strong disapproval of the proposal.
Republican leadership from the House along with several top administration figures urged undecided legislators to join their side. Mr. Trump personally contacted numerous representatives over the phone. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance held private meetings with House Republicans on Tuesday afternoon, cautioning them about potential political repercussions of not approving the government funding legislation.
Johnson (R-LA) voiced certainty about securing sufficient Republican support to get the bill passed, which is referred to as a continuing resolution, even with the challenge presented by a small group of dissenters holding out.
“We will secure the votes. We are going to pass the Continuing Resolution. We can accomplish this independently,” he stated during a press conference earlier on Tuesday.
Leading Democrats in the House strongly criticized the bill, claiming it would result in reductions to essential social safety-net initiatives.
“House Democrats are striving to safeguard Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. However, the Republicans’ partisan spending bill poses a threat to veterans, senior citizens, and families. This is unacceptable,” stated House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
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Johnson refuted the idea that the temporary measure would damage widely supported entitlement programs, charging Democrats with distorting the story.
“Either Democrats are struggling with understanding what they read, or they’re engaged in a disgraceful disinformation effort. The Continuing Resolution contains ABSOLUTELY NO REDUCTIONS to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, or veteran benefits,” he stated.
House Republican leadership decided to call off the scheduled voting for Wednesday and dismissed members of Congress early, pushing them into a break lasting over a week. This move puts significant pressure on the Senate to approve the House’s version of the legislation unchanged so that the government can stay operational past Friday, when the present funds supporting various federal operations run out.
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