President Donald Trump is urging GOP lawmakers to unify on a stopgap funding bill that would avert a government shutdown at the end of September over the objection of Democrats.
House GOP leadership could roll out the text of a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) as early as this week to keep government operations funded through mid-November. Several House Republicans have criticized the strategy of postponing a government funding deal until the year’s end and have pledged to vote against a short-term CR.
“In times like these, Republicans have to stick TOGETHER to fight back against the Radical Left Democrat demands, and vote ‘YES!’ on both Votes needed to pass a Clean CR this week out of the House of Representatives,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Monday afternoon. “Democrats want the Government to shut down. Republicans want the Government to OPEN.”
“FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION,” Trump added.
A “clean” CR extends government appropriations from the previous fiscal year at the same levels with no added policy riders.
Speaker Mike Johnson can afford to lose just two Republican votes given House Republicans’ 219-213 majority. Little to no House Democrats are expected to join with Republicans in supporting a GOP spending bill to prevent government operations from lapsing.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have vowed to oppose a partisan government funding package. The two Democratic leaders are also demanding concessions from Republicans to extend expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies in a stopgap bill.
Just one Democratic lawmaker, Jared Golden of Maine, voted for a GOP spending bill in March.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who frequently spars Trump on major pieces of the president’s policy agenda, is viewed as a “firm no.” The libertarian-minded Republican compared Johnson to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi for eyeing a short-term CR, in a post on X on Sunday.
Massie could be joined by Republican Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz, who has pledged to vote no on a CR regardless of its duration. Spartz previously stated that she would oppose a GOP budget resolution in March, only to change her vote to “yes” on the House floor after reportedly being lobbied by the president — a claim that Spartz denied at the time.
Other House Republicans, including Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have also criticized the idea of passing a stopgap funding bill through the end of November.
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