Government shutdown live updates as House holds key procedural vote on funding bill
What to know about the partial government shutdown
- The House is holding a key procedural vote on a massive funding package to end the partial government shutdown, with Republicans hoping to remain united to move forward with the plan.
- The vote on the rule governing debate on the package is the final hurdle Republican leaders must clear before a vote on passage. Democrats were expected to oppose the rule, but several dozen might ultimately vote to approve the package.
- The legislation includes five full-year spending bills and a two-week extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats are demanding reforms to how immigration enforcement agencies like ICE conduct their operations, an issue that will become the focus on Capitol Hill once the current funding fight is over.
- You can watch the proceedings on the House floor in the player above, and follow live updates below. If the rule is approved, a vote on final passage is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Thune calls 2-week timeframe to negotiate funding for DHS an "impossibility"
Senate Majority Leader John Thune cast doubt on the short timeline to reach an agreement on DHS funding. The temporary funding measure gives lawmakers until Feb. 13 to approve long-term funding for the department, or another stopgap measure.
"Once we start, we have a very short timeframe in which to do this, which I lobbied against, but the Democrats insisted on a two-week window," Thune said. "I don't understand the rationale for that. Anybody who knows this place knows that's an impossibility."
Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said he's hopeful there will be a "sense of urgency around, if there's a path forward, what it might look like and what individual component pieces might be included." But he noted that members of the Republican conference remain in "very different places."
House begins vote on rule for funding package
The House is now voting on approving the rule governing debate for the funding package, which will require a simple majority to succeed. If the rule is passed, the chamber is expected to vote on final passage at 1 p.m.
Johnson: "We're going to pass the rule today. It was never in doubt to me"
At a press conference at the Capitol, Johnson expressed optimism that Republicans will remain united and approve the rule for the funding package this morning. He said he does not expect any GOP defections.
"We're going to pass the rule today. It was never in doubt to me. The Republicans are going to do the responsible thing. I did talk to Hakeem Jeffries over the weekend, and he informed me that they would not be assisting in this endeavor. And I just think that's crazy," Johnson said. "I mean, I just think that everybody needs to look at what's happening here: one party is moving forward — by the way, with the smallest margin in U.S. history, we now have a one vote margin. We are still sticking together. The Republican Party is sticking together because the stakes are so high."
He added: "Democrats, all they do, every single day here, is obstruct."
He said Democrats are in a "family squabble" and suggested that Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, was "upset, offended that Chuck Schumer presumed to speak for House Democrats" in his negotiations with the White House.
Democrats may back final passage of funding package, despite refusal to fast-track bill
Dozens of House Democrats could end up voting in favor of the funding package later Tuesday, despite a pledge from Democratic leaders over the weekend not to help Republicans fast-track the legislation.
House Democrats conveyed to GOP leaders days ago that they wouldn't provide the votes to help pass the funding package under suspension of the rules — a maneuver that would speed the legislation's passage and would have required support from around 70 Democrats. Instead, Johnson had to maneuver the bill through the Rules Committee, and later Tuesday morning will have to keep his conference together on a partisan vote to move forward with the measure.
With a 218 to 214 majority, Johnson can only afford to lose one vote. A two-vote swing would result in a 216-216 tie, which means the rule would fail.
"Republicans have a responsibility to move the rule," Jeffries said Monday, adding that "it's hard to imagine a scenario where Democrats are going to provide Republicans" with votes.
Still, a number of Democrats could opt to support the measure on final passage.
Though the measure was negotiated between Senate Democrats and the White House, Democrats secured the two-week extension of DHS funds that they had sought, giving them time to negotiate reforms to the administration's approach to immigration enforcement. The short timeline means lawmakers will have to move swiftly, but Republicans and Democrats have expressed optimism about reaching a compromise.
In a sign that the package could pick up support among Democrats, Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Monday that she plans to support it.
Jeffries said there are a "diversity of perspectives" among the Democratic caucus, while noting that outside of the temporary funds for DHS, there's "strong" Democratic support for the five bipartisan funding bills that comprise the package.
SAVE Act demands pushed aside — for now
Republican leaders appeared to successfully quell a push by some House conservatives to attach an elections-related bill known as the SAVE Act to the funding package Monday, which threatened to stall the effort to reopen the government.
Conservatives have long rallied behind the SAVE Act, which would require Americans to show proof of citizenship in person to register to vote in federal elections. The bill passed the House in April but hasn't been taken up in the Senate.
The push, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, threatened passage of the funding package, since House GOP leaders can only afford to lose a single vote on a party-line procedural vote ahead of a vote on final passage.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned Monday that attaching the legislation would doom the funding package in the upper chamber. Hours later, President Trump weighed in on Truth Social, urging lawmakers to support the funding agreement and "send it to my desk WITHOUT DELAY," while noting that there should be "NO CHANGES at this time."
After a meeting at the White House, Luna and Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told reporters later Monday that they will vote "yes" on the procedural vote to advance the funding package, while pointing to assurances they said they received about passing the measure in the Senate.
Whether and how the measure moves forward in the upper chamber remains to be seen.
First vote expected around 11:15 a.m.
The procedural vote to adopt the rule, which governs debate, is expected to begin around 11:15 a.m. ET.
Once Republicans overcome the procedural vote, the House can begin an hour of debate on the funding package, which is equally divided between Republicans and Democrats.
A vote on final passage is expected after 1 p.m.
House Rules Committee tees up funding package for floor vote
In an 8-4 vote along party lines, the House Rules Committee advanced the funding package Monday night, teeing it up for a floor vote Tuesday.
Before final passage, Johnson will face a crucial test in a procedural vote that Republicans will have to clear without any Democratic support. Johnson is operating with a one-vote margin.