U.S. House passes bill to fund federal agencies through September, though prospects unclear in Senate

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., checks his phone as he arrives to meet with reporters as Republicans push ahead with a go-it-alone strategy on an interim spending bill that would keep federal agencies funded through Sept. 30, at the Capitol, in Washington, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation Tuesday to avert a partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies through September, providing critical momentum as the measure now moves to the Senate, where bipartisan support will be needed to get it over the finish line.

Republicans needed overwhelming support from their members to pass the funding measure, and they got it in the 217-213 House vote.

In the Senate, they’ll need support from at least eight Democrats to get the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk. It’s one of the biggest legislative tests so far of the Republican president’s second term, prompting Vice President JD Vance to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning to rally support.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., moved ahead on the bill, essentially daring Democrats to oppose it and risk a shutdown that would begin Saturday if lawmakers failed to act on the continuing resolution, often referred to by lawmakers as a CR.

“Here’s the bottom line. If congressional Democrats refuse to support this clean CR, they will be responsible for every troop who misses a paycheck, for every flight delay from reduced staffing at TSA, for every negative consequence that comes from shutting down the government,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s strategy had the backing of Trump, who called on Republicans to “remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right.”

Lawmakers said the bill would trim $13 billion in non-defense spending from the levels in the 2024 budget year and increase defense spending by $6 billion, which are rather flat changes for both categories when compared with an overall topline of nearly $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending. The bill does not cover the majority of government spending, including Social Security and Medicare. Funding for those two programs is on autopilot and not regularly reviewed by Congress.

Democrats are mostly worried about the discretion the bill gives the Trump administration on spending decisions. They are already alarmed by the administration’s efforts to make major cuts through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, run by billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk. And they say the spending bill would fuel the effort.

Spending bills typically come with specific funding directives for key programs, but hundreds of those directives fall away under the legislation. So the administration will have more leeway to reshape priorities.

For example, a Democratic memo said the bill would allow the administration to steer money away from combating fentanyl and instead use it on mass deportation initiatives.

“This is not a clean CR. This bill is a blank check,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “It’s a blank check for Elon Musk and President Trump.”

Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, acknowledged the continuing resolution was not the outcome he sought but said it was time to end the cycle of short-term funding extensions. This will be the third in recent months. He blamed Democrats for trying to rein in Trump’s authority on spending.

“We’re not going to have a Republican Senate and a Republican House restrict a Republican president from the legitimate exercise of executive authority,” Cole said. ”And then, oh, by the way, ask him to sign the bill.”

Normally, when it comes to keeping the government fully open for business, Republicans have had to work with Democrats to craft a bipartisan measure that both sides can support. That’s because Republicans almost always lack the votes to pass spending bills on their own.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., and chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said he supported this one because it would not lead to a massive, catch-all spending bill and would reduce spending.

“This is not your grandfather’s continuing resolution,” Harris said.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was still a holdout, though. He was the only Republican to vote no on the procedural vote, and said he would vote against the bill, too.

Trump went after Massie on social media, calling him a “GRANDSTANDER, who’s too much trouble.”

“HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him,” Trump posted online.

Massie responded by saying Trump was “attacking me and Canada today. The difference is: Canada will eventually cave.”

House Democratic leaders came out strongly against the legislation. Less clear was how strongly they would push members in competitive battleground districts to follow their lead.

“This Republican shutdown bill does nothing to enhance the American dream. It undermines it,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said ahead of the vote.

Democratic leaders in the Senate generally seemed to be emphasizing patience at this stage and were waiting to see if Republicans can muscle the bill through the House before taking a stand.

“We’re going to see what the House does first,” said top Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.

Still, several rank-and-file Democrats criticized the measure. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said he was stunned that Republicans were “trying to jam through something that is their way or the highway.”

Democrats also introduced an alternative bill Monday night funding the government through April 11. The bill could serve as a Plan B if the GOP-led effort falters.

Both parties prepared to blame the other if the bill failed.

“It looks like they’re going to try to shut down the government,” Johnson said of Democrats.

“If the government shuts down with a Republican House, Republican Senate and Republican president, it will be solely because the Republicans have moved forward with a terrible, partisan, take-it-or-leave-it bill,” said Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y.

The spending bill could also have major ramifications for the District of Columbia’s government.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said the proposal would require the district to cut $1.1 billion in spending in the next six months since it has already passed a balanced budget and is midway through its fiscal year. That means, officials said, cuts to critical services such as education and public safety.

Associated Press writers Leah Askarinam, Gary Fields and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

Kevin Freking, The Associated Press