The House of Representatives approved a government funding bill Friday evening in a 366-34 vote, aiming to prevent a partial shutdown. The bill’s passage came after intense negotiations and objections from President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the incoming chief of the Department of Government Efficiency, who criticized the initial version as overly “bloated.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced, “We will not have a government shutdown, and we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for disaster victims all over the country, and for making sure that military and essential services and everyone who relies upon the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays.”
Details of the 118-page bill
The legislation, trimmed from 1,547 to 118 pages, funds the government at current levels through March 14, 2025. It includes $100 billion in disaster relief for hurricane-hit states and farmers, extends agricultural subsidies for a year, and allocates $25 million for the US Marshals Service and Supreme Court security. A peculiar $3 million provision for inspecting molasses at U.S. ports also survived.
Republicans largely supported the measure, with just 34 voting against it. No Democrats opposed the final version, and one voted “present.” This marks a stark contrast to Thursday night, when 38 GOP members rejected a similar bill.
Negotiation highlights
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) played a key role in breaking the impasse. Jeffries supported the final version and praised the decision to reject Trump’s proposal to abolish the federal debt ceiling, which he argued would have triggered recurring crises.
Musk, who initially pressured Republicans to reject the earlier version, endorsed the revised package. “The Speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances. It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces. Ball should now be in the Dem court,” he tweeted.
Scrapped provisions
The revised bill removed contentious proposals, including a 4% pay raise for Congress, a provision restricting pharmacy benefit managers, and funding for Robert F. Kennedy Stadium renovations. It also struck measures against AI-generated non-consensual pornography.
Political tensions and fallout
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) criticized Speaker Johnson’s decision to work with Democrats, claiming, “Johnson flipped his decision after the meeting when he spoke to [Hakeem Jeffries] and realized he could get Democrat votes to pass all the legislation as one bill.”
Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) had previously attempted to oust Johnson as Speaker. Musk also fueled tensions, questioning on X, “So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) fired back, “How about the House add campaign finance reform to the CR so Republicans and Democrats alike can stop being so scared about what a billionaire man-child thinks before they vote on anything around here.”
Looking ahead
While the House avoided a shutdown, uncertainty looms as the Senate faces time constraints to consider the bill. A senior Democratic aide noted Johnson’s challenges: “He was juggling all that with wanting to keep the gavel while being hit with asteroids launched by Elon Musk.”