House Republicans on Tuesday pulled out a vote near the party to curb the looming government shutdown and pass a controversial fundraising bill to ship to the Senate, which will still face a difficult battle.
The Trump-backed bill passed 217, with Kentucky representative Thomas Massey joining almost every House Democrat who came out violently in it to slash social programs and allow the wider federal forces of the Trump administration. Maine Democrat Jared Golden joined the Republicans and supported the measure.
The StopGup bill, revealed over the weekend by House Republican leaders, will fund the government through September, adding $6 billion to the military budget and carve $13 billion from non-defensive spending while maintaining a freeze on $2 billion in IRS funding.
Vice President JD Vance said he was swarming up the hill in a crowd with Republicans on Tuesday.
The House will head for a break later this week, leaving lawmakers in the Senate to take away the scenario of robbing them.
The bill’s priorities closely align with Trump’s agenda, particularly the provisions of management that could allow broader authority to redirect funds between programs. Power Democrats can allow a major reshaping of federal priorities without Congressional approval.
House Republicans were rushing to pass the bill before Thursday. They then handed over the measures to the Senate before returning home for a long week and a half break.
Still, the Senate presents another hurdle. There, Republicans have a 53-47 majority, but they need 60 votes to pass the law. Suppose at least eight Democrat senators have to cross party lines for the bill to move forward, and all Republican senators except Rand Paul of Kentucky, who are expected to oppose it, voted in favor.
It’s a difficult sell-off for Democrats facing intense pressure from within their party and constituency to resist the unsolved cuts of Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk against a federal agency that has eliminated more than 100,000 jobs.
And unlike their home counterparts, Senate Democrats appear to be split into this measure. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has shown potential support, saying the suspension is “mixed chaos” and he “does not vote for chaos.”
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden also said he was reluctant to vote against it, saying: I’m not a shutdown guy. ”
However, other Democrat senators, including Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin, do not support the bill, and require assurances that “money will be spent in the way Congress intended” before lending support.
