A Senate compromise aimed at ending the partial government shutdown has made significant progress, clearing a critical step on Monday night and gearing up for a House vote on Tuesday.
The House Rules Committee, which ultimately decides on most bills before the full chamber votes, moved forward with the Senate-White House agreement with minimal dissent among Republicans.
However, the bill faces potential challenges in the House during a subsequent procedural step known as a “rules vote.” This part requires a simple majority to allow debate and finalize the vote. Typically, House votes split along party lines, meaning Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) will need nearly every Republican member to be on board for it to pass.
The current partial shutdown, affecting around 78% of the federal government, has entered its third day after Congress failed to deliver remaining funding to President Trump’s desk by Jan. 30.
Both Republicans and Democrats seem to be breaking past some barriers, aligning to implement funding that favors Trump.
On September 30, House lawmakers approved an initial bipartisan bill to fully finance the government through the end of fiscal year 2026. However, Democrats overwhelmingly criticized the plan in response to Trump’s immigration policies following a violent incident in Minneapolis.
Senate Democrats pulled their support for the deal, protesting the funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after law enforcement fatally shot another American during an anti-ICE demonstration in the same city.
In response, Trump reassigned the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official responsible for leading efforts in the region after the shooting.
Democrats are now insisting on extra precautions, such as judicial warrants, to further limit the actions of agents in Minneapolis.
The compromise simply seeks to extend existing spending levels for DHS by two weeks while also allocating funds to various contentious government sectors, including defense, health and human services, transportation, housing, labor, and education.
This two-week extension is meant to provide lawmakers a window to negotiate a longer-term deal that garners bipartisan support.
Tensions have clearly escalated surrounding this new Senate arrangement to avert a government shutdown.
While the Senate approved the deal on Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) expressed a marked divergence from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) stance. Although Schumer and Senate Democrats are in talks with the White House regarding the plan, Jeffries warned Johnson not to count on Democratic backing for the bill’s passage.
This division between high-ranking Democrats is striking and puts House Republicans in a tougher spot while trying to resolve the shutdown.
On a different note, Trump managed to ease a conservative rebellion early Monday, relieving some pressure from House Republican leaders. Nevertheless, a few House Republicans signaled they might oppose the party line in the upcoming rules vote, particularly those against a separate bill related to voter registration changes.
Trump posted on Truth Social, calling for no alterations to the current proposal, which seems to undermine the conservatives’ push to impose additional demands on the deal.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) led a contingent of conservatives threatening to block the vote on the rules unless an unrelated measure known as the SAVE America Act was included. However, she later indicated a shift in opinion after receiving assurances from the White House regarding upcoming votes.
She mentioned, “We’re very optimistic about this,” referring to a potential plan Senator Thune might be considering.
Yet the extent of support among other House Republicans remains uncertain; some are frustrated that the new agreement necessitates bipartisan discussions around curtailing Trump’s immigration policies.
For Johnson to navigate a full-floor rules vote, he can only afford to lose one vote from House Republicans on the funding agreement.
It’s important to note that almost 14,000 air traffic controllers are bracing to work without pay during this time. A drawn-out government shutdown could result in military personnel going unpaid and hinder the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from effectively sharing crucial public health updates with the American populace.
