The Republican-controlled chamber voted 213-209 to move towards a final vote on the measure, with President Donald Trump’s support largely keeping his party together in the face of vehement opposition from House Democrats
The US House began voting on Wednesday on a bill that would end the longest-ever shutdown and reopen the government, while Democrats expressed concern over the Senate-brokered deal that fails to extend expiring healthcare subsidies.
The Republican-controlled chamber voted 213-209 to move towards a final vote on the measure, with President Donald Trump’s support largely keeping his party together in the face of vehement opposition from House Democrats, who are angry that a long standoff launched by their Senate colleagues failed to secure a deal to extend federal health insurance subsidies.
The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “President [Donald] Trump looks forward to … finally ending this devastating Democrat shutdown with his signature, and we hope that signing will take place later tonight.”
While Republicans are looking forward to a clean sweep in the funding voting, top Democrats are set to oppose the bill. However, the bill to fund the government and thereby restart it after the longest-ever shutdown is likely to get passed as it only needs a simple majority, which Republicans narrowly have.
What’s in the bill?
The federal funding bill would provide monetary assistance to most government agencies through January 30, meaning that the Republicans and Democrats cannot agree on a temporary spending measure that will fund the government through the end of the fiscal year.
The legislation would provide full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, through the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30. The deal would also replenish SNAP’s contingency fund and fully fund child nutrition programs, including free and reduced-price school meals.
Lawmakers have also included a $203.5 million package for the protection of members of the House and Senate. The new legislation will also provide funding to support Capitol complex physical security requirements.
The legislation also ensures retroactive pay for the roughly 1.4 million federal employees who were furloughed or required to work without pay during the shutdown. Many of them have missed two full paychecks and a partial one.
Democrats furious over bill
Eight Senate Democrats on Monday broke with party leadership to pass the funding package, which would extend funding through January 30, leaving the federal government on a path to keep adding about $1.8 trillion a year to its $38 trillion in debt.
“I feel like I just lived a Seinfeld episode. We just spent 40 days and I still don’t know what the plotline was,” said Republican Representative David Schweikert of Arizona, referring to a popular 1990s U.S. sitcom.
“I really thought this would be like 48 hours: people will have their piece, they’ll get a moment to have a temper tantrum, and we’ll get back to work.”
He added: “What’s happened now when rage is policy?”
House Democrats remain adamantly opposed, angered by the Senate deal that came less than a week after Democrats won high-profile elections in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City that many thought strengthened their odds of winning an extension of health insurance subsidies. While the deal sets up a December vote on those subsidies in the Senate, Speaker Mike Johnson has made no such promise in the House.
Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill, who last week was elected as New Jersey’s next governor, spoke against the funding bill in her last speech on the U.S. House floor before resigning from Congress next week, encouraging her colleagues to stand up to Trump’s administration.
“To my colleagues: do not let this body become a ceremonial red stamp from an administration that takes food away from children and rips away healthcare,” Sherrill said.
With inputs from agencies
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