In a closely divided vote, the House of Representatives has advanced a short-term government funding extension, putting the bill on President Biden’s desk for final approval. The passing of this bill is crucial to avert a partial government shutdown before the end of the day on Friday. The vote, which saw 314 in favor and 108 opposed, highlighted the deep divide within the House GOP, with 107 Republicans supporting the measure and 106 opposing it.
The bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), was rushed to the floor for a vote after it was passed by the Senate with a vote of 77 to 18. Normally, a procedural vote would be required, but it was bypassed under a suspension of the rules. However, the bill still needed two-thirds support from House lawmakers for final passage, rather than a simple majority.
The decision to pass the CR comes amidst growing frustration within Speaker Mike Johnson’s right flank. While Johnson had pledged to be “done” with CRs after passing one in November, congressional leaders deemed it necessary to buy more time for lawmakers to negotiate a spending deal for fiscal year 2024.
Hours before the vote, House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good met with Johnson to advocate for the inclusion of a border security amendment in the CR. Good argued that the Senate would be forced to consider funding the government and securing the border, or refusing to fund the government due to a lack of border security measures. However, Johnson’s spokesperson quickly dismissed the rumors, affirming that the plan remained unchanged.
The new CR follows Johnson’s approach of maintaining separate funding deadlines, extending them from Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 to March 1 and March 8. The intention behind this approach is to prevent the passage of an all-in-one “omnibus” spending bill, a proposition that Republicans in both the House and Senate oppose.
Despite complaints from members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who expressed their discontent with the CR earlier in the week, they acknowledged the limited power they had in stopping its passage. The bill had garnered support from House Democrats as well as a significant share of House Republicans.
Currently, Johnson is working with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to negotiate a spending deal. The passing of the short-term funding extension provides them with more time to reach an agreement.
As the government funding deadline looms, the passing of this CR has become a critical development in the ongoing negotiations. The deep divisions within the GOP and the efforts to address border security concerns add complexity to the process. The continuation of government operations hinges on President Biden’s signature before the end of the day on Friday.
