Democrats Break from Leadership to Pass Funding Package

On Tuesday afternoon, about 20 Democratic lawmakers diverged from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to approve a substantial funding package, bringing an end to a four-day partial government shutdown.

The House voted 217-214 to pass a deal that originated in the Senate, which will fund nearly 80% of the federal budget until September 30. This includes key governmental departments like the War Department, Treasury, and State Department. Additionally, a two-week extension for funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was also approved, as Senate Democrats and the White House continue their discussions on immigration enforcement reform.

More than 190 Democrats, including Jeffries and other leadership figures, voted against the funding agreement, which was negotiated between Senate Democrats and the White House. Despite this opposition, leading House Democrats stressed that they hold no resentment toward their Senate counterparts, even as they disagreed with a spending framework partially developed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Among the 21 Democrats backing the funding deal was Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. She praised the “bipartisan” negotiations that consolidated the five spending bills. “Did I get everything I wanted? That’s crazy,” she remarked on Monday. “Did the Republicans get everything they wanted? No way.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the Democrats for their stance against the deal meant to end the partial shutdown. He noted, “What they’re going to be shutting down is FEMA operations that are cleaning up from the winter storm. They’re obviously going to be shutting down TSA operations, Coast Guard operations that are necessary to keep domestic travel going through the airports.” Johnson expressed concerns that these “partisan games” would harm crucial functions of DHS.

Twenty-one Republicans opposed the funding package as well, voicing worries about the numerous items in the bill and the lack of full funding for DHS for the entire fiscal year.

The funding package is now set to go to the White House for President Trump’s signature. Republicans argued for a swift passage of a spending deal, emphasizing the need to avoid “another long, pointless and destructive” government shutdown.

Fiscal conservative Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky was the only Republican to oppose the rules aimed at tightening funding measures for the final vote. With House Speaker Johnson’s slim majority, even a couple of Republican defections could have jeopardized the procedural vote, prolonging the funding lapse.

Massie’s dissent came after Trump criticized Massie’s wife on social media. Although she has supported Trump in every election since 2016, the former president is backing Massie’s opponent in the upcoming Republican primary.

House Republican leadership also managed to reverse Tennessee Rep. John Rhodes’ vote supporting the funding measure. Rhodes, who is campaigning against Trump-backed Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn in the 2026 gubernatorial primary, initially stated he couldn’t advance the funding measure without the SAVE Act attached.

Meanwhile, the Election Integrity Act, which the House passed in April 2025, is struggling in the Senate and only garnered 60 votes. Schumer has pledged that Democrats will employ the filibuster to obstruct the SAVE Act from advancing.

This law would require proof of citizenship and voter ID for federal elections.

Republican Reps. Troy Neals (Texas), Byron Donald (Florida), Andy Ogles (Tennessee), and Victoria Spartz (Indiana) postponed their votes before ultimately shifting to “yes.” Concerns about the SAVE Act’s passage in the Senate were shared among conservatives.

Following a meeting with the president, several Republicans who had previously insisted on attaching an updated version of the SAVE Act withdrew their demands, which seemed to pave the way for the funding agreement.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, the SAVE Act’s chief sponsor, mentioned that she was assured the Senate would consider the bill outside the appropriations context.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune declared on Tuesday that he would not resort to a rarely used “interactive” filibuster to debate the SAVE Act, aiming to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote requirement. Thune, who has expressed his support for the SAVE Act, affirmed his commitment to continue discussions on how to proceed.