House passes stopgap spending bill, weighs attempting to jam Senate
Funding fight moves to Senate, with question of Dems strategy
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The House has passed a stopgap spending measure designed to keep the government funded through November 21 while boosting security funding for public officials. The measure now faces significant hurdles in the Senate, as Congress races to meet a September 30 deadline to avert a government shutdown.
The GOP-led bill is largely a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) and also includes a budget fix for the District of Columbia, which is facing a $1 billion budget shortfall.
Democrats have criticized the measure, faulting Republicans for excluding them from negotiations and demanding that it include language to permanently extend Affordable Care Act tax subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
“The Republican budget bill continues the attack on the healthcare of everyday Americans. And is a dirty piece of legislation,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said.
House Republican leaders have floated the possibility of recessing after the bill’s passage — a move that would put additional pressure on the Senate as the deadline looms.
Partisan finger-pointing over which party would bear the blame for a shutdown has intensified, with both sides digging in.
Supporters of the GOP bill argue that it responsibly keeps the government funded at current levels without adding “poison pill” policy riders. They claim that Democrats’ demands would amount to $1.5 trillion in new spending.
“In exchange for responsibly keeping the government open while Congress works through the appropriations process, Democrats are demanding free health insurance for illegal aliens, $500 MILLION for NPR, and an overall $1.5 TRILLION spending hike. If they block our clean CR, Democrats ALONE will be responsible for the government shutdown,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) tweeted ahead of the vote.
Democrats introduced their own counterproposal on Thursday, including health care provisions, which is not expected to see action in the House.
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