I learned something at Capitol Hill this week.
House Republicans can pass government funding bills without democratic aid.
barely. 217-213.
Republicans could only lose one vote. And that’s all they lost: Rep. Thomas Massey, R-KY.
Hitchhiker’s guide to where we stand in potential government closures
The GOP bill picked up one Democrat.
Passing the government funding bill yourself was not always the case with home GOPs. Republicans have held the House majority for over two years. The GOP majority has consistently leaned towards Democrats serving the minority for many votes to keep the government open and lift the debt cap. But that changed late Tuesday afternoon as House Republicans approved their own bill to light.
But before the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) denounced Democrats for opposing a temporary spending package known as “continuous resolution” or “cr.”
“If Congressional Democrats refuse to support this clean CR, they will be responsible for all troops who miss pay. All flight delays due to reduced staffing at the TSA, and all the negative consequences of shutting down the government,” Johnson said.
It was unclear whether Johnson could pass the bill alone by Republicans. In particular, he vowed to vote for the speaker, saying he was in favor of the Democrats by supporting them.
“You’re constantly criticizing the Democrats,” you really told the speaker. “Don’t that mean you don’t have a vote on your side? Because you don’t need democratic assistance to maintain your government?”
R-La. House Speaker Mike Johnson was in talks with reporters at Capitol in Washington on January 7, 2025 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
“No. I’ll vote,” Johnson replied. “We’re going to pass on the CR and we can do it ourselves.”
A few hours later, the speaker did something good with his promise.
But he had an assist.
Vice President JD Vance came to the Capitol on Tuesday morning to ease the fears of skeptical House Republicans. However, Vance did not close the deal completely.
“I saw some looks out there so I wouldn’t feel better to secure the votes of people who might be asking questions,” R-Mo said. Rep. Mark Alford said after his involvement with House Republican Vance.
Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla. said they need more guarantees for future spending cuts. R-Tenn. Rep. Tim Burchett said he “prays” on how to vote for the bill. But heading to the meeting, Burchett admits that he has not yet experienced political intercession.
“Overall, we’re uncomfortable giving the Pentagon more money despite us cutting,” Burchett said.
By the afternoon, Burchett said he was “at approaching” but he wasn’t there yet.
And when the House voted, it passed the bill.
Reporter’s Notebook: Go here again (again)
But what made the difference when it came to persuade Skytish Republicans to vote for Jesus?
R-Mo. Rep. Eric Burlison told Fox that he was “barely” for the CR.
“What is the “barely” part? “I asked.
“‘Barried’ is Donald Trump. He is a different maker. I never support this language. But I trust Donald Trump,” Burrison said. “He won’t disappoint me. I think he’s the guy of his words, and when he says he’s going to get it done, I believe him.”
But that was only half the battle. The bill won the support of all but one Senate Republican. However, you need 60 votes to beat the Filibuster. Republicans have only 53 GOP members. So it would involve support from the Democrats.
Senator Rand Paul is R-Ky. said he opposed the bill because he didn’t cut spending. Paul said he did not take a blow from the president or fellow Republicans in his position.
Monday, November 11th, 2024, the US Capitol in Washington, DC (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“People know where I am. I’m pretty consistent with opposing debt and opposing spending,” Paul said.
Silence dealt with silence over how President Paul dropped off at his Bluegrass colleague Thomas Massey. Trump argued that Massy should face the primary for his asylum.
Senator John Fetterman, D-Penn. is the only Democrat who supports the record and supports the suspension spending bill.
So, it’s about mathematics.
The Senate needs eight Democrats, as only 52 Republicans were prepared to break the filibuster. That includes fetterman. Please note that they do not need to vote “yes” on the bill. Just to overcome the filibuster. Republicans can pass the bills themselves with a simple majority.
This will tore Democrats as badly as recent political parties on recent issues.
On the one hand, Democrats don’t want to shut down the government. They fear putting already skittish federal workers at risk. And if federal workers aren’t doing their jobs, that could lead to additional cuts from Elon Musk and Doge.
Meanwhile, they want to be seen fighting for their base and fighting for a rally with President Trump and Musk.
But it is often the darkest before dawn.
Trump union-approved picks confirmed by the Senate to lead the Labor Bureau
Democrats have to go to the mat or try to save something before the 11:59pm 59pm ET Government funding deadline on Friday.
There are rattles where Democrats may ask for votes in the universe of revision – none of them will pass. But at least Democrats managed to save their faces. Their loyalty tried to stand up to the President and Musk, telling them they fought for their worth. They could also argue that shutdowns are worse than keeping the government open.
Fox is said to be interested in votes for the next subject.
Recovering funds for Washington and/or efforts by the administration to “compensate” already allocated by the Congressional Democrats’ suspension spending bill for a month
Fetterman appeared to be the only Democrat to vote for the GOP interim spending bill, but on Thursday, minority leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) announced he would vote for it. And it could be that a series of votes on amendments could unleash some democratic votes to break the bill’s filibuster.
However, tensions are now rising.
A reporter staking a Senate Democrat meeting talking about the closure heard someone believes he is Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand, screaming at her colleagues through the thick Capitol wall.
Multiple Senate Democrats remained totally silent as they left the long Senate Democrat Caucus. There was no senator Fox approached – although some people were very loving in other circumstances. In fact, Fox even asked some Democrats if they were told not to say anything. Some responded “no comments.”
Senator John Fetterman, D-PA. is in talks with Russell Building reporters after the Senate vote on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 (via Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Getty Images)
The quietness on Capitol Hill often means something is happening, and lawmakers are trying to mediate a very vulnerable deal. That also means lawmakers are smoking.
There was a real fear among Democrats that government shutdowns could put the federal government in perpetual danger and possibly lead to additional layoffs of thousands of federal workers.
Other issues are: If the government is shut down, no one knows how it can reopen. It’s about mathematics. And the calculations under such circumstances did not work to ensure that the House and Senate finally passed the same bill and resumed the government. That calculus simply didn’t seem to work.
So Schumer decided to support the Band-Aid Expense Bill.
Schumer and playing cards. (AP/Getty Images)
This is why several Senate Democrats refused to comment on what Schumer said to them at today’s Closure Association meeting. That’s why we could hear Tempers flare and Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand (Dn.Y.) screaming through the thick Senate walls.
However, this is not without risk for Schumer.
He needs to persuade six other Democrats (8 in total) to help him overcome the filibuster.
There are 53 Senate Republicans. You need 60 votes to avoid the filibuster.
Senator Rand Paul (r-ky.) is no. Therefore, the deficit is 8. Schumer and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn) are the first two Democrats who say they are willing to vote to overcome the filibuster. So you need six more Schumers.
If he cannot find those votes, the government will be shut down. And Schumer would have made a tremendous tactical error.
As in saying saying, leaders without followers are those who go out for walks.
Former House Speaker John Boehner, R. Ohio, said “nothing good” happens when Congress is being held for more than three consecutive weeks.
The members are angry. anxiety. The temper is short.
Senate majority leader John Tune, Rs.D. noted that the Senate met for 10 weeks in a row.
“Senators have seen a lot of each other recently, and in fact, too many,” Thune said.
This includes three ending sessions and weekend sessions. This period marks the longest consecutive week of Senate activities in 15 years.
The Senate is scheduled to compete for the first time next week. The government will close the break. The senators rarely see their families. It was a passionate pace.
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That’s the Senate spouse, the reason Washington’s most powerful people can make the ultimate statement about funding the government.
And if the Senate coincides with the House, they will avoid shutting down the government.
But barely.
Chad Pergram is currently a senior council correspondent at Fox News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based in Washington, DC.
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