House GOP releases stopgap bill to fund government through Nov. 20
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
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.
