House Passes Trump-Backed Government Funding Deal Despite Republican Objections

The Senate will soon vote on a measure to fund the government through September after the House voted to pass a bill to avert a government shutdown, which is currently due to begin at the end of the day on Friday. Senate Democrats are so far unsure if they want to block the funding agreement once it reaches their chamber. House Republicans remained relatively united on Tuesday, as just one GOP lawmaker, Congressman Thomas Massie, broke ranks to vote against the continuing resolution. The House passed the bill by a margin of 217—213, with one Democrat, Congressman Jared Golden, voting yes. Mr. Massie’s defection has already won the scorn of President Trump himself, who has now called for the Kentucky libertarian to face a Republican primary challenger next year. Congressman Eric Burlison, a member of the Freedom Caucus, confirmed to reporters on Tuesday morning that the president’s pressure has been very influential in this process. Mr. Burlison said he “barely” supported the legislation, and that he would only vote yes because Mr. Trump supported the bill. Mr. Trump has urged Republicans to get on board with the legislation, which was released Saturday and includes about $8 billion worth of spending cuts between now and the end of the fiscal year on September 30. Mr. Massie came out against the bill quickly, saying that the bill did not do enough to reduce the deficit. “If it passes this week, the CR obligates Trump (from now until September) to spend the same amounts of money on generally the same things Biden spent money on in his last 15 months in office,” Mr. Massie wrote in a post on X. In response to Mr. Massie’s announcement that he would vote no, Mr. Trump’s 2024 senior campaign strategist, Chris LaCivita, wrote, “Tick tock Tommie,” seeming to imply that the Kentucky libertarian would face a primary challenger next year if he didn’t toe the party line. “Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election. Guess what? Doesn’t work on me. Three times I’ve had a challenger who tried to be more MAGA than me. None busted 25% because my constituents prefer transparency and principles over blind allegiance,” Mr. Massie responded. Another Kentuckyian, Senator Paul, also says he will vote no. “Despite @DOGE’s findings of loony left-wing USAID programs, the Republican spending bill continues to fund the very foreign aid @elonmusk proposes to cut! The bill continues spending at the inflated pandemic levels and will add $2T to the debt this year. Count me as a hell no!” Mr. Paul wrote on X. Senator Thune will now have to rely on eight Democrats in the Senate to pass the bill, though many lawmakers say they have not yet made up their minds about how they will vote. Senator Blumenthal told the New York Sun on Tuesday that he has not yet made “a final determination.” He said Elon Musk’s power in the federal government is deeply concerning to him, and that his concerns are made worse by the fact that Republicans have direct access to the Department of Government Efficiency chief so they can protect programs in their states and districts, while Democrats are completely shut out. “I see no evidence of anyone holding Elon Musk accountable in any way, and if Republicans are able to reach him, then they must have … channels of communication that Democrats are lacking,” Mr. Blumenthal said. Senator Murphy expressed a similar concern about Mr. Musk, but — like his colleague — did not say how he plans to vote on the continuing resolution. “Let’s see what happens in the House,” Mr. Murphy said Tuesday, dodging a question about supporting the spending bill. “We’re all waiting for the House to act, given how uncertain things are over there.”

House Passes Trump-Backed Government Funding Deal Despite Republican Objections

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