House GOP releases stopgap bill to fund government through Nov. 20
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Speaker Mike Johnson talks to reporters outside the House chamber on Sept. 8. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
House Republican leaders released the text of a 91-page stopgap measure Tuesday to keep the government funded through Nov. 20 and provide additional resources for lawmaker security.
Why it matters: It's the opening salvo in what could be a drawn-out battle to avoid a shutdown in two weeks.
- Republican leaders in the House opted to press forward without backing from their Democratic colleagues, meaning Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has very little wiggle room for defections.
- And the measure will need 60 votes in the Senate, meaning it will definitely need Democratic backers there — a tall order given demands Democrats have outlined and the fast-approaching Sept. 30 deadline.
The details: The House proposal maintains current spending levels and adds $30 million in for member security.
- That's in addition to the $58 million bump the White House has requested for executive and judicial branch security following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
- The measure also includes a $1 billion fix to D.C.'s budget stemming from an earlier funding bill that took the unusual step of treating D.C. as a federal agency.
State of Play: Democrats in both chambers have said they won't back any short-term funding plan without bipartisan negotiations.
- The top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations Committee — Rosa DeLauro (Conn.) and Patty Murray (Wash.) — said they'd continue to work with their GOP counterparts on full-year bills "if Speaker Johnson backs away from this partisan move."
- Some in the party see a shutdown fight as one of the few ways to show resistance to former President Trump and satisfy their restive base.
- Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have also both pushed for the stopgap measure to extend the enhanced ACA tax credits that are expiring at the end of the year.
Friction point: House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told reporters Tuesday that GOP leaders have no "plan B" if their continuing resoltion doesn't pass.
- "They're voting against it for what's not in it. That's a bad reason to vote against any measure." Cole said of his Democrat colleagues.
The intrigue: Three House Republicans have already indicated they won't vote for the stopgap measure: Reps. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also hinted at a "no" in a Monday post on X, though she stopped short of committing one way or the other.
- Johnson can only afford to lose two of his members on a party-line vote, but some lawmakers, like Spartz, have been known to cave at the last minute.
What's next: Johnson said he plans to hold a House vote Friday on the stopgap bill.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

