House Republicans released a new short-term spending bill to extend government funding into next year, revising the bipartisan spending package that was scrapped earlier this week due to GOP opposition.
The latest continuing resolution would maintain current funding levels for government agencies until March 14, adhering to the same timeline as the previous proposal. However, the revised version would omit certain provisions from the original package that conservatives, including President-elect Donald Trump, rejected, such as pharmacy benefit managers reforms, and language that would increase the cost of a higher blend of ethanol, called E15.
MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: THE HOUSE AND SENATE FRESHMEN ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR
The new package would also keep the $110 billion in additional spending to go toward disaster aid and farmers’ assistance after a number of Republicans in the House and Senate threatened to withhold support if those were not included.
Additionally, the package includes language that would push the debt limit fight off for another two years, suspending the ceiling until January 2027 and relieving Trump of having to deal with it at the start of his term.
That provision emerged as an 11th-hour demand from Trump, who told Republicans on Wednesday they should reject any CR package unless it includes a provision to raise the debt ceiling. The president-elect even so far as to threaten primarying any Republican who refused to do so.
Trump offered his approval on the new CR package shortly after it was agreed upon, calling it a “very good Deal” — particularly the debt limit component.
“A VERY important piece, VITAL to the America First Agenda, was added as well — The date of the very unnecessary Debt Ceiling will be pushed out two years,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish.”
It’s not yet clear when lawmakers will vote on the passage. House leaders are working to finalize the package and transfer it to the Rules Committee, teeing it up for a vote as soon as Thursday evening or Friday morning.
If Republicans can manage to get the bill through the committee and to the floor, it would only require a simple majority to clear the lower chamber — saving Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) from having to rely on a majority of Democrats to pass the measure.
However, it’s still unclear whether the measure can pass the House with Johnson’s historically thin majority. Some Republicans in the House are staunch opponents of raising the debt limit and have vowed never to support legislation to do so.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) has pledged he would not raise or suspend the debt ceiling without offsets included in the continuing resolution, drawing the ire of the president-elect, who called the Texas Republican “very unpopular” and accused him of “getting in the way.”
“The very unpopular “Congressman” from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory – All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself. Republican obstructionists have to be done away with,” Trump wrote.
Even if it can pass the House, there’s no guarantee the bill can muster enough support in the Democratic-led Senate — especially as some Republicans have hesitated to support a debt limit increase.
“There’s at least 20-30 Republicans who are not for raising the debt ceiling, or for eliminating it in particular,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told reporters. “So I think it’s a nonstarter. It’s a little bit late in the game to be putting debt ceiling on this.”
If Johnson can’t get enough GOP support the bill could be dead on arrival as House Democrats insist they will only support the original agreement.
“We had a bipartisan agreement to keep the government open and to help the American people, especially those suffering from natural disasters and farmers, and at the last minute, President Elon Musk came in and ordered his puppet to kill the deal, and Donald Trump followed the orders,” said Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY).
Meanwhile, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (R-CT) railed against Republicans for reneging on the bipartisan deal.
“Democrats are not in the majority in the House, in case anybody has forgotten that. We don’t have the pen. We don’t post the legislation. They posted it. They agreed to it, and let’s move forward.”
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries struck a similar tone, telling reporters on Thursday that Congress should stick with the “bipartisan agreement that will help farmers, families, the future of working-class Americans, children, seniors, veterans, and the men and women in uniform all across the nation and the world.”
“That bipartisan agreement has now been detonated because House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt the very working-class Americans that many of them pretend to want to help,” he added.
Still, when asked if the caucus would support any version of a slimmed-down continuing resolution, Jeffries maintained the “best path forward” is a vote on the original CR package.
The government is scheduled to shut down at midnight on Friday, after which federal funding will lapse for a slew of agencies if an agreement is not made.
Hailey Bullis contributed to this report.
