Congressional negotiators have released a bill that, if passed, will avert a partial government shutdown during the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s term. The 99-page legislation would maintain current government funding levels through the beginning of fiscal year (FY) 2026. The current deadline to avert a shutdown is Friday, March 14. House GOP leaders are confident that they can pass a bill to keep the government funded with Republican votes alone, and the bill has been closely coordinated with the White House, although Trump has not reviewed the specific pages yet. The bill includes additional funding for defense, veterans’ healthcare, and an operations shortfall for ICE under the Biden administration.
The bill ensures that spending caps placed under a prior bipartisan agreement, the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), are followed. It contains $892.5 billion in discretionary federal defense spending and $708 billion in non-defense discretionary spending. The bill is a continuing resolution (CR), extending the previous fiscal year’s government funding levels and priorities for the remainder of FY 2025. Republicans believe this will put them in a good position to negotiate conservative government funding priorities in time for Oct. 1. While some Democratic support is needed in the Senate, Republicans may need to pass the bill in the House with their narrow majority.
House Democrats are directing lawmakers in the lower chamber to oppose the Republican CR, accusing Republicans of trying to cut Medicare and Medicaid through the bill. Democrats allege that Republicans are using the CR to threaten funding for healthcare, nutritional assistance, and veterans benefits. House GOP leaders will need to convince almost all Republican lawmakers to support the bill, as some conservative members have expressed opposition to continuing resolutions in the past. Despite opposition, GOP leaders believe that close coordination with the White House and a potential blessing from Trump could sway remaining holdouts.
In a joint letter to colleagues, House Democratic leaders accused Republicans of introducing a partisan continuing resolution that threatens vital funding for healthcare, nutrition, and veterans benefits. The statement emphasized the need to protect Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ health, and Medicaid while criticizing Republicans for putting these programs at risk to pay for billionaire tax cuts. House GOP leaders must work to convince Republican lawmakers, as well as potentially a few Democrats in the Senate, to support the bill and prevent a government shutdown. At least one Republican, Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, has already signaled opposition to the bill.
President Trump has posted on Truth Social that he is working with House Republicans on the Continuing Resolution to fund the government until September. Trump believes conservatives will appreciate the bill, as it sets the stage for tax cuts and spending reductions through reconciliation while effectively freezing spending for the year. Despite some Republican dissent and opposition from House Democrats, GOP leaders hope that their coordination with the White House and potential support from Trump will be sufficient to garner the necessary backing for the CR and avoid a government shutdown.
