The Congress has a week to approve an expense bill that would avoid a government closure, but the legislators of both parties are not on the same page on how they will advance.
The president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, Republican of LA-LA.
The leaders said they hope to publish the legislative text as soon as Friday, but that it will probably slide in the weekend.
“I think we will pass it through the lines of the party,” Johnson told journalists on Thursday. “But I think each Democrat should vote for this [continuing resolution]. It is a fundamental responsibility that we must finance the government, and a clean Cr with some minor anomalies is not something to vote, so we will see what they do. “
President Donald Trump has pressed the Republicans of the House of Representatives to support the measure, including the hard lines that generally vote against continuous resolutions.
“Conservatives will love this bill, because they prepare us to reduce taxes and spending on reconciliation, all while the expenditure this year is effectively freezing,” Trump wrote on his Social Network Platform Truth Social on Wednesday.
President of the Chamber of the House of Representatives answers a question from the media while walking to the Chamber of the Chamber to Vote to censor the Texas Democratic Representative Al Green in the United States Capitol in Washington, on March 6, 2025.
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shuttersock/Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shuttersock
Johnson can only be allowed to lose a dropout if all members vote and are present, which means that he will almost surely need the help of the Democrats to approve the measure.
The representatives Thomas Massie, R-Ky., And Tony Gonzales, Republican of Texas, have said they will not vote not in a continuous resolution, presenting a challenge for Johnson, who is sailing for a majority of the House of Representatives.
Top House Democratic leaders explicitly said Friday in a letter to colleagues who will oppose Johnson’s financing bill, arguing that he could lead to cuts to programs such as Medicaid.
“Republicans have decided to introduce a continuous partisan resolution that threatens to reduce funds for medical care, nutritional assistance and veteran benefits at the end of the current fiscal year. That is not acceptable,” they wrote.
“We cannot support a measure that weeping the benefits of health and retirement of everyday Americans as part of the Republican scheme to pay mass tax cuts for their wealthy donors such as Elon Musk,” they added. “Medicaid is our red line.”
The leader of the majority of the Senate, John Thune, accompanied by the sens. Tom Cotton, Shelley Moore Capito, Senator John Hoeven and Senator James Lankford talks to journalists in the United States Capitol, on February 25, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Any financing bill must also clear the Senate, where democratic support will be critical. Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Ky., Has already promised to vote against the legislation, which means that at least eight Democrats will be needed to approve any financing proposal.
Until now, the Democrats have maintained their letters near what they will do if they are presented with a bill. Many Senate Democrats say that a continuous resolution of six months, such as the one Johnson proposes, would be a “disaster”, but have also expressed interest in closing the government.
Some Democrats prefer a plan that see the approval of a shorter measure to allow work in the all -year assignments law.
But if Johnson approves his plan and the house flees from Washington, there may be few alternative options that do not activate at least a brief closure of the government.
Government financing is one of the few areas in which Democrats, who have been pressing for ways of challenging Elon Musk’s cuts through the Government’s efficiency department, can affirm their influence. It remains to be seen if you will use this bill to stand up or not, and they will risk closing the government, it remains to be seen.
