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Shutdown Odds Tumble As House Passes Latest GOP Spending Package

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by Tyler Durden
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Update: With the support of Democrats, the House just passed Speaker Johnson's latest spending package bill.

Lawmakers voted 366 to 34 to approve the proposal, well above the two-thirds threshold needed under special fast-track procedures. One lawmaker voted present.

The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Sept. 30, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

It now heads to the Senate, while the White House said in a statement that President Biden won't stand in the way.

"President Biden supports moving this legislation forward and ensuring that the vital services the government provides for hardworking Americans—from issuing Social Security checks to processing benefits for veterans—can continue as well as to grant assistance for communities that were impacted by devastating hurricanes," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Polymarket's odds of a government shutdown are tumbling.

As the Epoch Times notes further, moments after the House of Representatives passed a new package to keep the federal government funded through March 14, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other congressional lawmakers discussed the process that brought the bill over the finish line.

In bipartisan fashion, with an overwhelming majority of votes, we passed the American Relief Act of 2025,” Johnson said, adding that funding the government through March 2025 was “a big priority for us.”

The House Speaker described the package as “America First” legislation that allows his GOP coalition to deliver the nation a “sea change in Washington” after Inauguration Day next month.

“President Trump will return to D.C. and to the White House, and we will have Republican control of the Senate and the House,” Johnson said. “Things are going to be very different around here.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) took credit for the bill passing Friday evening.

“House Democrats have successfully funded the government at levels requested by President [Joe] Biden in order to meet the needs of the American people in terms of their health, safety, and economic well-being,” Jeffries told reporters after the vote.

“We have successfully advanced the needs of everyday Americans, but there are still things to be worked on, and we look forward to that fight in the new year.”

The package also included requested disaster relief funds after an active hurricane season that included multiple destructive storms in multiple states throughout the southeast.

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), was relieved that portion was included in the final package.

“Thank God we got disaster,” Carter told The Epoch Times.

Regarding the debt ceiling consideration, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said that the public would have to wait and see what would “be done early in the next administration.”

President-elect Donald Trump suggested he was pleased with the outcome of the vote, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) told The Epoch Times.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), however, indicated that congressional Republicans still have more work to do despite passing the legislation.

“We have a lot of undoing of some big stuff in order to get the numbers to work. And I think we've got to get serious over the next two, three weeks about doing that,” Roy told The Epoch Times. “We come back, hit the ground running. It can't be more of the same.”

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), one of the bill’s leading sponsors, was hopeful about his coalition’s path forward next year after Republicans assume control of government for the first time since 2019.

“I'd rather be in a situation where I could send bills over to a friendly Senate and have a president of my own party that'll sign them, than to sit here and play defense all day. So we're pretty excited about the opportunity we have,” he told reporters after the vote.

“Republicans are in control of all three branches. That doesn't happen too often and gives us an exceptional opportunity. So there's a lot of pressure on us to perform.”

*  *  *

Update (1756ET): Well, well, well - it appears that the GOP has come up with a deal that the Democrats support, according to Punchbowl News' John Bresnahan.

According to Jake Sherman, there are already 300 'yes' votes on the board. "This thing is going to pass easily," he says.

Details are scant. One Democrat Member told Bresnahan "Hakeem supporting, albeit with some caveats."

That said...

Stay tuned for more details... and the vote.

*  *  *

Update (1444ET): House Republicans are now likely to split the bill in pieces and hold different votes. A longer-term debt limit deal is NOT part of it, per Jake Sherman - however it appears that they will attempt to kick the can to March.

And now this...

Earlier:

* * *U.S. AGENCIES ALERTED TO PREPARE FOR AN IMMINENT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN -WHITE HOUSE SOURCES

*  *  *

Here we go...

After yesterday's disastrous failed vote on a pared down spending package, speaker Mike Johnson is set to roll out a revised plan for another bite at the apple before tonight's deadline for a federal government shutdown.

Except... according to Rep. Anna Paula Luna (R-FL) who just came out of Johnson's office, the next revision - to be voted on at 10am ET - will be "something very similar to yesterday," and that Republicans will not negotiate with Democrats, according to Jake Sherman.

Which means a shutdown is imminent unless they can pull a rabbit out of a hat.

As Punchbowl News notes, Johnson is desperate - reportedly saying on Thursday that "If anyone else can get 218 votes, God bless them," according to lawmakers present.

Johnson’s Trump-endorsed Plan-B-funding-and-debt-limit bill failed miserably on the House floor Thursday night. Thirty-eight Republicans ignored Trump and Johnson’s entreaties and voted against the bill, showing the limits of both men’s power in the House.

All but two House Democrats voted no. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) voted present.

After the vote failed, Johnson, who was mobbed by reporters just feet from the House floor, tried to stay positive. “We will regroup and we will come up with another solution so stay tuned,” Johnson said.

Of course, nobody seems to want to try the obvious solution - separate votes, as rep Thomas Massie (R-KY) pointed out Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise - who disagreed with Johnson's decision for a short-term CR, said "they're looking at some other options."

"What exactly is in or out hasn’t been decided, but you start with keeping the government open," Scalise told reporters.

President-elect Trump chimed in on Friday as well, posting on Truth Social: "If there is goign to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under TRUMP."

Polymarket participants are giving a shutdown a 61% chance as of this writing. Let's see where the below widget goes throughout the day.

Punchbowl has some ideas on the path forward.

1) Try the bill that failed — again. Plan B could become Plan C. Republicans could schedule a vote on the CR package that failed on Thursday again. That’s clearly the package Trump wants, after his “SUCCESS in Washington” tweet.

2) A negotiated settlement. Although Trump might not like it, Democrats have a price. Johnson can get together with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and figure out what Democrats need to support a bill to fund the government past tonight.

The problem for Johnson is this runs the risk of both dividing the House Republican Conference and angering Trump by trying to again cut a deal with Jeffries. Democrats have to be convinced Johnson won’t renege again, as well as being able to deliver enough votes. Sources close to Jeffries say they can deliver the votes. The question is can Johnson?

3) Drop the debt-limit increase. If Johnson were to drop the debt-limit increase from Thursday’s bill, that might be an attractive option for Republicans and even some Democrats. Remember, that’s a three-month CR with disaster funding and an extension of the farm bill. With a shutdown just hours away, this isn’t a bad move.

Plus, many Republicans are truly opposed to Trump’s call to extend the debt limit now. Congress is six months ahead of any debt-limit deadline. Also, Trump also dropped this demand into lawmakers’ laps two days before a shutdown.

4) A short-term CR. There was some talk inside the GOP leadership and among rank-and-file members about a short-term CR to fund federal agencies until early or mid-January. But this wouldn’t change the current reality: Johnson has a very small majority, he has to deal with a volatile incoming president, face down an emboldened mega-billionaire with a social media platform and has a generally uncooperative House Republican Conference.

Stay tuned for updates...

 

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