The House Rules Committee voted Monday night to advance the GOP bill to avoid government shutdowns, and sent measures to the full chamber for consideration ahead of the Friday deadline.
The panel voted 9-3 to adopt rules governing the debate over the law. A successful vote will send this measure to the House floor for discussion and final votes.
“The law will help to avoid government shutdowns and allow us to continue our work in service to the American people,” House Rules Committee Chairman Virginia Fox (RN.C.) said in her opening remarks at the beginning of her hearing. “The house must act to avoid unnecessary shutdowns that do not serve its purpose, so this body can focus and pay attention to the next spending process.”
An ongoing resolution released over the weekend by speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was funded by the government at the end of the fiscal year, pushing up defense funds and imposing reductions on several non-forced programs.
The House is scheduled to vote for the law on Monday. But it remains unclear whether there's a vote to pass as Democrats are expected to oppose it — their leadership has voted “no” — and a few Republicans withhold support from the measure.
If all Democrats vote “No” and there are full attendance, Johnson can not only lose one vote, but take action at the finish line.
Rep. Thomas Massey (r-ky.) announced Monday that he would vote against the legislation. According to his office, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) is “Lean No.” And Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said he was no on Monday evening.
Meanwhile, Cory Mills (R-Fla.) and Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) have said they are still undecided, and lawmaker Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) has not yet said whether he supports the measure. Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) said he plans to make a “game time decision.”
But in a positive indication for Johnson, the House Freedom Caucus adopted an official position in favor of Monday night's stop-gap, giving the law a useful boost in the final stretch of Tuesday's vote.
“The House Freedom Caucus supports the ongoing resolution for fiscal year 2025,” the group wrote in a statement. “Contrary to the years of abuse of this legislative tool in Congress, this CR is a paradigm shift.”
Meanwhile, Democrats have been hammering on continuous resolutions since their announcement over the weekend. On Monday, House Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) accused her of seeking to cut healthcare, child nutrition assistance and veteran benefits.
“The House Republican so-called spending bills do nothing to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The exact opposite. The Republican bill dramatically reduces nutritional aid for health care, children, families and veteran benefits,” Jeffries said. “That's not something we can support. House Democrats will not conspire in Republican efforts to hurt the American people.”
