United States House Votes to Avoid Shutdown
The US house following a compromise between Democrats and Republicans passes spending bill in order to avoid shutdown
Following a compromise between Democratic and Republican leadership, the United States House voted to avoid a shutdown on their third attempt to reach a deal. This followed legislation that was rejected by factions of House Republicans and openly criticized by President-Elect Donald Trump.
The spending bill passed with 366 votes in favor, 34 against, and 29 abstentions. Of those who opposed, 34 were Republicans, and one Democrat voted "present." The House had previously rejected a compromise deal reached between Democratic and Republican leadership to avert a shutdown until March, after a public rejection by President-Elect Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk, who posted over 150 times on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) against the continuing resolution.
The 1,500-plus-page piece of legislation includes wide-ranging measures addressing disaster relief, economic support, national security, and domestic priorities. It allocates $100 billion for disaster recovery, including $21 billion for farmers, and funds the reconstruction of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. Farmers will receive $10 billion in direct aid tied to federal agricultural programs, addressing outdated subsidies. A controversial provision allows a 3.8% salary increase for lawmakers, sparking criticism of self-dealing.
The bill broadens restrictions on U.S. investments in Chinese technologies linked to military and surveillance uses. It also allocates $500 million for child care, split between increasing access and renovating disaster-damaged facilities. Additional measures include year-round E15 ethanol sales, $25 million for Supreme Court justice security, ticket price transparency, and transferring control of RFK Memorial Stadium to D.C. Other provisions criminalize nonconsensual intimate depictions, regulate pharmacy benefit managers to lower drug costs, and allow lawmakers to opt into traditional federal health plans. Lastly, it tasks the assistant secretary of commerce with promoting U.S. music tourism.
One of the main points raised by the President-Elect was that the spending bill did not include any legislation addressing the debt ceiling—an issue historically used by minority parties as leverage to pass their own legislation or curtail the majority party’s agenda. Donald Trump preferred that the debt ceiling debate remain the responsibility of his predecessor, rather than a fight his administration would inherit. This issue had been a source of tension during his previous administration.
In the new legislation, Speaker Mike Johnson split the proposals into three separate bills in an effort to reach a compromise before the midnight EST deadline. Under the House GOP’s latest plan, Republicans proposed passing three bills: one for stopgap funding paired with a one-year farm bill extension, another for aid to address natural disasters such as Hurricanes Milton and Helene, and a third to extend aid for farmers. Instead of implementing a new farm bill, which expired in September, the proposal extends the deadline to March 14, pushing the issue into President Trump’s administration and the new Congress.
The vote raises questions about Republican leadership, with speculation that the Republican majority may again attempt to remove Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson replaced Kevin McCarthy last October, after McCarthy lost his position over a similar spending bill and compromises with House Democrats.
The spending bill now heads to the Senate, which will have six hours to reach an agreement to avoid a shutdown. The Senate is widely expected to pass the legislation without significant issue, preventing a shutdown and delaying the conflict until March.
