WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders released the text of their bill Tuesday to keep the government funded through Nov. 21, with the goal of passing it through the full House this week.
But it's far from certain they have the votes in their slim majority, in which they can afford only two defections before they would need Democratic support or absences to approve it.
And Democrats have emphasized for weeks that they won't support a GOP-written bill that wasn't negotiated with them and failed to include their priorities, most notably on health care costs.
The government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1 without a new law to keep funds flowing.
The 91-page bill would keep the government funded at current levels for seven weeks past the deadline, with some add-ons. It includes $30 million in security funding for lawmakers, including money to reimburse local police for costs incurred to protect members at public events or their homes, after the assassinations of Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota state House speaker Melissa Hortman. It also includes $58 million in security to protect members of the executive and judicial branches.
The Rules Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon to send the bill to the floor.
A House Republican leadership source said they plan to hold a vote on the bill in the full chamber by Friday.
If it passes, it would go to the Senate, where it needs 60 votes — meaning at least seven Democrats — to break a filibuster before the end of the day on Sept. 30 and avoid a funding lapse.
Top Democrats have slammed President Donald Trump for successfully calling on top Republicans to cut Democrats out of the negotiations. They said the new bill raises the odds of a shutdown, which they argue the GOP would own.
“House Republican Leadership has decided they would rather take us to the brink of a shutdown instead of working with Democrats on a bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the government funded, protect Congress’ power of the purse, and improve health care,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrats on the Appropriations committees, said in a joint statement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pointed the finger back at Democrats ahead of the release of the bill text. Republicans argue Democrats would be blamed for a shutdown.
"Predictably and unfortunately, there are some Democrats who are openly pining for a government shutdown in spite of this obvious and necessary step," he told reporters.
