The Republican-led US House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed a "laddered" funding bill that would keep the federal government funded after 17 November. The measure now appears on track for swift enactment.
The bill passed in a 336-95 vote, attracting broad support from lawmakers in both parties that were looking for an off-ramp from a government shutdown that threatened to last for days or weeks.
The Democratic-controlled Senate will now take up the bill, with majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) planning to see quick, bipartisan approval.
House speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) argues the continuing resolution — "CR" in Capitol Hill parlance — would prevent a previous dynamic where the Senate has been able to "jam" the House into voting on a massive year-end funding bill by releasing it just days before the holidays in late December.
"That is no way to run a railroad," Johnson said in a televised interview. "And, so, this innovation, this laddered CR that we're doing, prevents that from happening."
The bill would extend funding at existing levels for some federal agencies through 19 January and other agencies through 2 February. Schumer said staggering the funding deadlines was "goofy" but still meets core demands from Democrats, such as avoiding spending cuts. House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) said the CR was "flawed" for excluding defense support for Ukraine and Israel and disaster relief. Republicans want to negotiate a separate bill with supplemental funding, likely by pairing it with border security measures.
President Joe Biden has signaled an openness to support the bill, despite initial criticism from the White House. Biden said on Monday he would "wait and see what they come up with" before he decides if he would sign or veto the measure.
Johnson was able to fast-track a vote on the CR by placing it on the "suspension calendar" that requires a two-third vote and prevents amendments, in a repeat of the strategy former House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) used to bypass far-right conservatives who were blocking a vote on an earlier short-term funding bill.
If a funding bill fails to pass by 17 November, federal agencies will have to start furloughing millions of federal workers and curtailing services, although some federal agencies funded with multiyear appropriations expect to avoid near-term disruptions.
