House passes 3-month spending bill, setting up Congress to avert shutdown

The House on Friday approved a stopgap spending bill to keep agencies afloat through March 14, putting Congress on the glidepath toward avoiding a shutdown that would otherwise kick in at midnight. 

The measure includes more than $100 billion in disaster aid to victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as other events, and economic assistance to farmers. The bill required a two-thirds majority for passage, meaning a large portion of Democrats had to join Republicans for the bill to advance. Nearly all Democrats did so and the bill moved forward with ease. 

The continuing resolution now heads to the Senate and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has indicated he is supportive of the bill. The White House has told lawmakers President Biden will sign it. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he expected his chamber could move the bill before the midnight deadline. 

A shutdown seemed likely in recent days after President-elect Trump and his confidante Elon Musk threw previous plans awry on Wednesday. They denounced a tediously negotiated bipartisan package and insisted many of its provisions not be included. Trump also called for the package to include a debt ceiling increase, though such a provision was not included. 

A bill that did include a suspension of the nation’s borrowing limit was soundly defeated on the House floor Thursday. 

Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., backed the bill in a meeting just before Friday’s vote. 

“What we needed to come out of the bill has come out of the bill,” Jeffries said before that meeting, referring to the debt ceiling piece. 

Earlier in the day, federal agencies began notifying impacted employees they would soon be furloughed absent congressional action. The Transportation Security Administration had warned a shutdown could negatively impact holiday travel. 

According to agency plans from last year, the government was set to furlough about 737,000 employees, or 34%, of the federal workforce. Those employees were guaranteed back pay once the government reopened, as were those who must continue to work.

Any one senator can now object to immediate passage and force at least a short shutdown, though lawmakers are expected to agree to allow votes on certain amendments in exchange for an expedited timeline. 

The Biden administration has warned that without boosts to funding in certain areas, a CR would force several agencies to cease hiring ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration. The Internal Revenue Service, Federal Aviation Administration, Veterans Affairs Department, Social Security Administration and Executive Office of Immigration Review have all suggested they will implement, or continue existing, hiring freezes without additional funding attached to the stopgap bill. The bill contained a provision to allow FAA to continue hiring and operating normally, though it did not address the other shortfalls.