The House advanced a Senate-approved, bipartisan funding package Monday, clearing the Rules Committee on a party-line vote and setting up a floor vote Tuesday that could end a partial government shutdown that began after midnight Saturday. If the full House passes the measure and the president signs it, funding lapses affecting multiple federal departments would be restored. The package includes a two-week continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), creating a tight window for negotiations over immigration-enforcement changes.
Two Republicans who had resisted the package, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.) and Tim Burchett (Tenn.), said after a White House meeting they would back advancing the bill on procedural grounds. Luna had pushed to attach the SAVE Act, which would require in-person proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections; she and others discussed unconventional parliamentary tactics to try to force the issue. Senate GOP leaders, including Sen. John Thune, have said the Senate would oppose adding the SAVE Act and warned such changes would be hard to pass.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called any attempt to attach the SAVE Act a ‘‘poison pill’’ that could scuttle the bipartisan agreement and prolong a shutdown, characterizing it as voter suppression. Some House conservatives said they could press for a Senate vote on the matter later, but any substantive changes would require sending the package back to the Senate and risk extending the funding lapse.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, after meeting with committee Republicans, expressed confidence the House could pass the package Tuesday and urged colleagues to keep focus on restoring funding rather than attaching unrelated measures. He acknowledged logistical challenges getting members to Washington and the narrow Republican majority but said he expected to secure enough votes. President Trump also urged swift action, calling on the House to send the Senate-passed agreement to his desk ‘‘without delay’’ and without changes.
The partisan math in the House is tight. Democrats added a member Monday when Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) was sworn in after a special election, bringing the tally to 214 Democrats and 218 Republicans. With that margin, Johnson can lose only one Republican vote if all members are present and voting on party lines.
That slim majority complicates procedural strategy. House Democrats have said they will not help expedite the bill under suspension of the rules, which would fast-track consideration. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was ‘‘hard to imagine’’ Democrats moving the rule, though he left open support for final passage of the bipartisan funding bills. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, top Democrat on Appropriations, said she intends to support final passage and described the two-week DHS extension as leverage to press for immigration reforms — but she did not commit to backing the procedural rule that governs debate.
Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee urged colleagues to oppose the package unless substantive DHS reforms are secured before additional funding is approved for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Their demands include limits on roving patrols, stricter warrant and coordination requirements with state and local law enforcement, a uniform code of conduct and use-of-force standards comparable to local police, mandatory body cameras, and policies about masks and identification. Republicans have signaled willingness to accept some reforms but resisted others; Sen. Thune warned it will be ‘‘really, really hard’’ to negotiate significant changes within the two-week DHS window.
The shutdown has already disrupted agency operations and public services. The Labor Department said it would delay the January Employment Situation report until funding resumes. Other departments and subagencies with lapsed funding include Defense, State, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Treasury, and parts of Labor. Several agencies posted notices that website updates and routine operations would be limited until full appropriations are restored.
Political dynamics among House Republicans could still upend the package. Some conservatives, including Rep. Chip Roy, have pushed for changes to DHS provisions or the attachment of priority items like the SAVE Act. Democrats warn that adding such measures would doom the bill in the Senate and prolong the shutdown. Johnson has indicated Republicans will likely have to move the procedural rule on their own and has been conducting individual outreach to wavering members.
If the House approves the Senate-passed package and the president signs it, the temporary funding lapse will end and agencies will resume normal operations. If the House modifies the agreement, it would return to the Senate for consideration and could extend the shutdown. The two-week DHS extension sets a short timetable for talks on contentious immigration-enforcement reforms, with both parties signaling possible areas of agreement but significant differences remaining.