House of Representatives Passes Bipartisan Government Funding Bill By 366 to 34 Margin, Senate Passage and Enactment Expected Friday Night
On Friday evening, 6 hours away from a lapse in federal government appropriations, the House of Representatives passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to avert a shutdown and fund the federal government for three months. The House passed this bill by an overwhelming margin — see how your Representative voted here.
This was the third attempt to pass a CR to fund the government. The first CR was negotiated and introduced with bipartisan support from Democrats and Republicans in House and Senate leadership and in the respective Appropriations Committees. That CR included several bipartisan bills and provisions to extend the authorization of Medicare improvements and health care policies, cancer research programs, provide disaster relief to states hit by hurricanes and natural disasters, health care for 9/11 first responders, regulate “outbound” U.S. investments in foreign manufacturing and technology that hurts national security, reign in pharmacy benefit managers to limit prescription drug price inflation, extend farm aid reauthorization and add a farm stimulus, a bipartisan workforce development reauthorization, and other provisions.
That bipartisan CR was rejected by House Republican leadership after the incoming administration’s billionaire advisors intervened and directed Republican Members of the House to kill the bill.
On Thursday, December 19, House Speaker Mike Johnson (D-LA) introduced a new CR that was crafted without any bipartisan input but is endorsed by President-elect Trump. This bill included a debt ceiling increase alongside a three-month funding bill. The debt ceiling increase is a priority for the incoming Trump Administration because it facilitates their proposal for massive tax cuts for the ultrawealthy that will make the debt skyrocket and may require cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal funding working Americans count on. That second CR bill was voted on on the House floor on Thursday evening under suspended rules, which requires a 2/3 majority vote to pass. The vote fell far short of what was needed, with 174 votes for and 235 votes against passage.
As IFPTE leadership pointed out on Wednesday night, when the first bipartisan CR was killed, the only way to pass critical must-pass legislation in this Congress is by crafting legislation in a bipartisan manner so it passes with bipartisan support. Read IFPTE’s statement from Wednesday evening here.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Remarks on Passage of Continuing Resolution
Dec. 20, 2024
“Good evening everyone. House Democrats have successfully funded the government at levels requested by President Biden in order to meet the needs of the American people in terms of their health, safety, and economic well-being.
House Democrats have successfully fought for families, farmers, first responders, and the future of working-class Americans.
House Democrats have successfully fought for $100 billion in disaster assistance in order to make sure that those everyday Americans whose lives have been turned upside down. In terms of hurricanes, storms, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, and other extreme weather events, can get the assistance that they need to address the problems they've been confronting.
House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working-class Americans all across the land. House Democrats have successfully stopped the billionaire boys club which wanted a $4 trillion blank check by suspending the debt ceiling in order to enable them to cut Social Security, cut Medicare, and cut nutritional assistance while providing massive tax breaks for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected.
This is a victory For the American people.
We have successfully Advanced the needs of everyday Americans. But there are still things to be worked on, and we look forward to that fight. In the new year.
Happy holidays.”