Lawmakers are bracing for a vote on the 1,500-page government funding agreement as early as Wednesday night or Thursday morning under a fast-track process.
The potential move to accelerate consideration comes as conservatives have made a final set of demands and many allies of President-elect Trump oppose the bill.
Conservatives are calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to give him a full 72 hours to review the massive bill, which would extend current government funding levels through March and include hundreds of billions of dollars in additional funding. I'm looking for it. Measures to cut non-defense spending and an amendment to halt the sale of border wall material.
But conservatives on the House Rules Committee pushing for such a vote have indicated their demands are not being met.
Rep. Ralph Norman (RS.C.), a member of the committee, told The Hill that the bill would not pass the committee. Another member of the group, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), said shortly after noon Tuesday that there was no indication the bill would pass the Rules Committee.
If a bill does not pass the Rules Committee, it must be brought to the floor under a quick suspension of the rules process, avoiding procedural hurdles but requiring a two-thirds vote of the House to pass. Some believe that it will. It's becoming increasingly possible.
“If this bill were to move, it would almost certainly move by suspension, and it would move today or tomorrow morning,” Roy said.
The fight to pass the Continuing Resolution (CR) and other policy and spending items through Congress comes as Washington faces a Friday deadline to avoid a government shutdown, and Democrats face a three-way option for Republicans. It's happening as we look to squeeze as much money as possible out of a divided government before we even imagine it. Control next year.
But as time goes on, more Republicans are opposing the bill. recent critics Donald Trump Jr., along with Trump allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, strongly criticized the funding bill.
“Any Representative or Senator who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out within two years!” Musk I wrote to X.
Congressional negotiators announced Tuesday night that they would fund the government at current levels through March 14, extend the Farm Bill for one year, and add about $100 billion in disaster relief and about $100 billion in economic aid to farmers. They announced a huge number of continuing resolutions, including appropriating $1 billion. .
House Republicans from all walks of life denounced the bill even before leadership formally announced it, citing its additional policy priorities, the victories Democrats secured, and the bill's last-minute rollout. was criticizing.
Such opposition raised questions about whether the bill could clear the typically partisan procedural rules vote in the House. Conservatives, emboldened by the House's strong majority, have often used the vote to block the bill as a means of protest.
The rule would first have to be reported out of committee, where three hardline conservatives sit and could block it, and then passed on the floor, which would require a majority vote. Become.
Still, Johnson walked out on Tuesday, although he indicated he wanted the bill to go through the normal process in the House of Commons Rules Committee and respect the rules that allow 72 hours between the publication of legislative text and a vote in the Commons. Although it could potentially speed up the process.
“We are going to try to stick to the 72-hour rule, although we are strongly urged not to do so by people on both sides of the aisle,” Johnson said. “I'm trying to follow the rules. Let's see what we can do here.”
Hardline conservatives, led by members of the House of Commons Freedom Caucus, asked Mr Johnson for a number of conditions to move the underlying bill through the normal process for a final vote. These include “reading the bill for a full 72 hours'' and “voting on the bill.'' The DOGE Act to Cut Non-Defense Spending by 13% to 2019 Pre-COVID-19 Levels” and “An Amendment to Stop Biden’s Ongoing Fire Sale of Border Wall Construction Materials,” Freedom Caucus Posted in X.
However, it does not appear that these requests are being seriously considered. Despite their dissatisfaction with the spending plan, members are eager to leave Washington for the holidays. The House also needs to allow time for the Senate to consider the bill.
Even before leadership focused on procedural expediting, House Republicans from all walks of life criticized the bill for its additional policy priorities, the victories Democrats secured, and the bill's last-minute introduction. was criticizing.
“It's an absolute dumpster fire. I think it's garbage,” said Rep. Eric Burleson (R-Missouri), a member of the Freedom Caucus. “This is what Washington, D.C., did. This is why I ran for Congress to stop this. And sadly, it's happening again.”
