March 27, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans will face a critical test of their unity when a spending bill that would avoid a partial government shutdown and keep federal agencies funded through September comes up for a vote.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is teeing up the bill for a vote as soon as Tuesday despite the lack of buy-in from Democrats, essentially daring them to oppose it and risk a shutdown that would begin Saturday if lawmakers fail to act.
Republicans will need overwhelming support from their members in both chambers — and some help from Senate Democrats — to get the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk. It's one of the biggest legislative tests so far of the Republican president's second term, prompting Vice President JD Vance to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning to rally support.
“We have to keep the government in operation," Johnson said as he emerged from a House Republican meeting. "It’s a fundamental responsibility of ours. The vice president echoed that sentiment. It was very well received and very well delivered. I think the holdouts are down to just one or two.”
The strategy has the backing of Trump, who is calling on Republicans to “remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right.”
House Republicans said the bill would trim $13 billion in non-defense spending from the levels in the 2024 budget year and increase defense spending by $6 billion, which are rather flat changes for both categories when compared with an overall topline of nearly $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending. The bill does not cover the majority of government spending, including Social Security and Medicare. Funding for those two programs is on autopilot and not regularly reviewed by Congress.
Democrats are mostly worried about the discretion the bill gives the Trump administration on spending decisions. They are already alarmed by the administration's efforts to make major cuts through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Normally, when it comes to keeping the government fully open for business, Republicans have had to work with Democrats to craft a bipartisan measure that both sides can support. That’s because Republicans almost always lack the votes to pass spending bills on their own.
This time, Republican leaders are pushing for a vote despite Democratic opposition. House Republicans who routinely vote against spending bills said they would support this one. The House Freedom Caucus, which includes many of the House's most conservative members, issued a statement of support saying, “contrary to Congress’ longtime abuse of this legislative tool, this CR is a paradigm shift.”
Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, acknowledged the continuing resolution was not the outcome he was seeking but said it was time to end the cycle of short-term extensions Congress has been passing to keep the government open. This will be the third for the current budget year.
“Congress does have other things to do," said Cole, of Oklahoma. “It's got a lot on its plate this year.”
Meanwhile, House Democratic leaders have come out strongly against it. Less clear is how strongly they'll push members in competitive battleground districts to follow their lead.
Senate Democrats generally seem to be emphasizing patience at this stage, waiting to see if Republicans can muscle the bill through the House before taking a stand.
If the bill does move to the Senate later this week, support from at least eight Democratic senators will likely be needed for it to advance to passage.
“It’ll be up to the Democrats whether they want to deliver the votes and keep the government from shutting down," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
