House Republicans on Saturday released a stopgap spending bill that would fund the federal government through Sept. 30, ahead of a March 14 shutdown deadline.
It includes cuts to non-defense spending opposed by Democrats, who have indicated Republicans will have to pass the legislation without their help.
The continuing resolution would give a slight bump to defense spending, to about $892 billion. Non-defense spending would be $708 billion, which is 8% below the prior year’s level.
The federal government, rocked by the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts and firings, could shut down if Congress doesn’t approve funding before a March 14 deadline.
The last short-term spending bill was approved last December, before President Donald Trump returned to office.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Democrat representing Maryland’s 5th District, argues that the onus to avert a shutdown is on Republicans, who now control the House and Senate, in addition to the White House.
“If the government shuts down, it will be on the Republicans’ plate,” Hoyer said in an interview with WTOP.
Hoyer said Republicans have failed to uphold an agreement that goes back to when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was still in Congress.
But House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Democrats have at times walked away from negotiations, and they would be to blame if the government shuts down.
Still, Scalise remains optimistic the measure can be approved, with a House vote expected on Tuesday.
“Most members on both sides of the aisle and President Trump don’t want a government shutdown,” Scalise said.
Trump met this week with conservative House members, urging them to support a stopgap spending plan that’s backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus often vote against short-term spending bills, due to their concerns that they maintain funding levels they believe are too high.
But with Elon Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” team carrying out the Trump administration’s mandate to slash federal spending, some conservatives appear willing to vote for the continuing resolution.
Johnson can only afford to lose three votes, depending on House attendance, if the legislation is to pass.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said it is up to Republicans to pass the measure on their own.
In the past, many Democratic lawmakers have joined with Republicans to pass stopgap spending bills. But Democrats are upset with Republicans and Trump for the widespread firings of federal workers led by DOGE.
Trump’s view of a shutdown has changed
During his first term, Trump was willing to allow a government shutdown, due to his demand for Congress to spend more than $5 billion for a wall along the southern border.
He stood firm for 35 days, from the end of 2018 and into 2019, before an agreement was reached. It was the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
But Trump doesn’t want to slow the momentum now underway in his second term. His flurry of executive orders and the unprecedented scope of the spending cuts have left Democrats reeling.
But Hoyer believes Democrats are doing all they can to slow, if not block, various actions against federal agencies.
He and other Democrats point to the more than 100 lawsuits challenging various Trump administration actions, as well as their efforts to rally people against firings of federal workers.
Hoyer, who has many federal workers in his district, has been a longtime critic of government shutdowns.
“Shutting government across the board makes it inefficient, shuts down services to the American people they need,” Hoyer said. “And once again, undermines the morale of the people who work in government.”
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