House Republicans were able to pass a government funding bill without any Democratic support, with a barely passing vote of 217-213. This marked a shift from the previous practice of the House GOP relying on minority Democrats for votes to keep the government open. Despite berating Democrats for opposing the bill, House Speaker Mike Johnson was confident that Republicans had the votes to pass the bill on their own, and they did succeed in doing so. The bill also gained one Democratic yea vote from Rep. Jared Golden.
To secure the necessary votes from skittish Republicans, former Vice President JD Vance stepped in to try to allay fears among House Republicans. While some members expressed hesitations about the bill, they ultimately supported it, with Rep. Eric Burlison crediting trust in Donald Trump for his decision. Despite opposition from one Senate Republican, Rand Paul, the bill passed in the House with nearly unanimous Republican support, only requiring a few Democratic votes in the Senate to break a filibuster.
As the deadline for government funding loomed, Democrats found themselves torn between avoiding a government shutdown and standing firm against President Trump and Elon Musk. While most Democrats did not want to shut down the government, they also wanted to show their base that they were fighting for their values. The Democrats considered potential amendments to the bill, such as restoring funding to Washington, D.C., restricting Elon Musk’s initiatives, and proposing a Democratic one-month stopgap spending bill.
With only a slim margin of votes needed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced support for the GOP interim spending bill. However, tensions were running high among Senate Democrats, with reports of shouting among lawmakers as they discussed the shutdown. The potential consequences of a government shutdown were causing distress among Democrats, who feared the impact on federal workers and the uncertainty of how to eventually reopen the government.
Schumer faced the challenge of securing six more Democratic votes to overcome the filibuster in order to prevent a shutdown. Former House Speaker John Boehner’s warning that nothing good happens after three consecutive weeks in session was apt, as lawmakers were growing increasingly agitated and impatient. The Senate’s extended session and lack of recess were taking a toll on senators, with the ultimate decision hanging in the balance as they tried to avert a government shutdown. If they could align with the House to pass the funding bill, they could prevent a shutdown, but it would be a close call.
