Updated Dec 20, 2024 - Politics & Policy

House passes 11th-hour bill to avert government shutdown

Mike Johnson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, addresses members of the press at the Capitol, in Washington, DC on December 20, 2024. — Mike Johnson addresses members of the press on Dec. 20. Photo: Richard Pierrin/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. House on Friday overwhelmingly passed a bill to extend government funding until March.

Why it matters: The vote came after days of political crisis and GOP infighting over a spending plan — and just hours before government funding is set to lapse. The measure now heads to the Senate.

The vote was 366-34, with all the "no" votes coming from Republicans.
The measure also includes a one-year Farm Bill extension and over $100 billion in disaster relief for hurricane-ravaged areas.

Driving the news: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), told reporters after the vote that he was "really grateful" the bill passed with bipartisan support.

He said he was in "constant contact" with President-elect Trump, adding, "He knew exactly what we were doing.
Johnson also said that he'd spoken to Trump about 45 minutes earlier and billionaire-turned-Trump-adviser Elon Musk "about an hour ago."

The big picture: House passage marks a major turning point in a chaotic week on Capitol Hill that demonstrated President-elect Trump's influence over lawmakers.

The House failed to pass a bill Thursday that would have also included a provision President-elect Trump demanded suspending the debt ceiling until January of 2027.
That was after Trump on Wednesday torpedoed an earlier bipartisan spending agreement that included additional policy changes.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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House passes 11th-hour bill to avert government shutdown

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