Economy

With deadline near, House speaker says GOP can pass spending bill without Democrats

By Deirdre Walsh (NPR) and Claudia Grisales (NPR)
March 11, 2025 8:11 p.m.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Tuesday that he expects Republicans will pass a partisan spending bill on Tuesday, sending the legislation to the Senate for consideration before the Friday shutdown deadline.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Tuesday that he expects Republicans will pass a partisan spending bill on Tuesday, sending the legislation to the Senate for consideration before the Friday shutdown deadline.

Roberto Schmidt

The House of Representatives will vote Tuesday on a bill to fund federal agencies through September and avoid a potential shutdown on Friday, when current government funding expires.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., predicted “we’ll have the votes” Tuesday morning, telling reporters in the Capitol the GOP can pass the so-called continuing resolution or CR on their own later in the day.

But it’s unclear if Johnson can muscle the GOP-crafted bill through the chamber with his slim margin with several of his own members not yet on board.

House Democrats are vowing to oppose the bill.

“House Democrats will not be complicit in the Republican effort to hurt the American people,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters Monday evening. Jeffries and other Democrats argued the measure cuts health care and veterans' benefits.

If the measure clears the House on Tuesday, Senate Democrats will face a decision about helping GOP leaders with the needed votes to avoid a filibuster, or block the bill and face a potential shutdown at the end of the week.

Johnson maintained Democrats were in “panic mode” and said they were running a “misinformation campaign” about the contents of the bill.

“They are going to try and shut the government down,” Johnson said.

Johnson also read quotes from Democrats speaking during the Biden administration about the impact of any shutdown. The display was part of an effort to lay the blame on the minority party if his own party can’t get the bill through. Republicans control the White House, House and Senate and past standoffs over funding have shown voters hold the party in power responsible.

The 99 page bill continues funding levels for federal agencies through September 30, 2025. GOP leaders argued the bill was largely a “clean” continuation of current funding levels, but it does include a boost for immigration enforcement and a boost for defense programs.

Trump and GOP leaders mount pressure for GOP unity

Leaders mounted a full court press after they dropped the bill on Saturday. President Trump endorsed the legislation and called for “NO DISSENT” among GOP ranks in a post on social media.

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On Tuesday morning Vice President JD Vance huddled in a closed door conference meeting with House Republicans and urged them to back the measure.

In the past GOP leaders have relied on Democratic votes to pass stopgap funding bills because conservatives traditionally object to any stopgap bills, arguing they fail to cut federal spending. But the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus endorsed the bill Monday evening and several conservatives explained they backed this CR because it set up the Trump administration’s effort to cut spending through the DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, effort in the next annual funding bill. They also argued a shutdown was not helpful as GOP lawmakers in both chambers are working on a partisan bill to extend the president’s tax cuts, which expire at the end of the year.

Despite that endorsement, Republican leaders were still working to win support from several remaining holdouts.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has vowed to oppose the measure, even as President Trump has threatened to recruit a primary challenger against him.

With Massie expected to oppose the measure, Speaker Johnson may not be able to afford any additional defections. But with the vote fast approaching, at least two other Republicans, Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Georgia’s Rich McCormick, both said they were leaning no.

“I need to know how we’re going to fix this in September,” McCormick said, referring to the measure’s end date.

Others, including Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., and Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, have also not committed to voting for the plan.

House Democrats are expecting few if any defections

Democratic leaders worked behind the scenes to urge their members to oppose the bill and several Democrats told NPR they expected few defections. The top House Democratic vote counter, Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, told NPR Democrats “have been united against this tax scam and we see this bill for what it is.”

In the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats were waiting to see if the bill can pass the House before deciding on a course of action.

“We’re going to wait to see what the House does first,” Schumer told reporters.

As many as eight Democrats could ultimately be needed to side with Republicans in the Senate in order for the measure to clear the 60 vote threshold needed to pass most legislation in the chamber. The GOP controls 53 seats in the Senate, but at least one Republican, Kentucky’s Rand Paul, has said he was planning to vote against the plan unless an amendment is added to codify DOGE spending cuts.

“Let’s put it in writing,” he said about the cuts. Otherwise, “I’m a no.”

Several Democratic lawmakers who represent states with large numbers of federal workers have denounced the GOP bill. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine called the bill a “shutdown bill” and made it clear he’s opposing “Hell no!”

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., told reporters Monday evening he was evaluating the House GOP bill’s impact on his home state and would wait to see its fate. Asked if he worried his party would be blamed if there was a shutdown, Ossoff said “the GOP is in power and has governing responsibility.”

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