US House Republicans pass stopgap Bill to continue government funding

WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on March 11 passed a stopgap Bill to keep federal agencies funded past March 14, averting a partial shutdown beginning this weekend, even as President Donald Trump dramatically cuts government jobs.

The Bill passed in a nearly party-line 217-213 vote, with one Republican voting no and one Democrat yes.

The continuing resolution, which largely keeps the government funded at its current level through Sept 30, would need to be passed by the Republican-majority Senate and signed by Mr Trump into law by March 14 to avert a shutdown.

Mr Trump has been pressing Republicans to fall in line, and at a closed-door meeting on the morning of March 11, Vice-President J.D. Vance urged them to stay unified.

Hardline Republican lawmakers have traditionally opposed the stopgap measures, and the March 11 vote marked the first time that several of them voted in support of one since the party assumed the majority in the Chamber in January 2023.

Republican Representative Tim Burchett said he voted for the first time in favour of a Continuing Resolution because it will reduce federal spending.

“It’s the first time I’ve been here... that we’ve actually voted to decrease the size of government,” said the Tennessee lawmaker, who entered Congress in January 2019.

Mr Burchett, who spent much of the day saying he was undecided, chose to back the measure after speaking to Mr Trump, adding: “Leadership’s never lied to me and Trump’s never lied to me.”

Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro criticised the measure. "It is not a simple stopgap that keeps the lights on and the doors open. This is Republican leadership handing over the keys of the government and a blank cheque to Elon Musk and to President Trump," she said.

One Republican, hardline Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted no, and one Democrat, moderate Jared Golden of Maine, voted yes.

Senate Republicans will need at least seven Democrats to vote with them to avert a lapse in funding, which could disrupt everything from financial oversight to scientific research, and force hundreds of thousands of federal workers to go without pay.

Many of those workers have already been stressed by Mr Trump’s blunt-force campaign to thin the ranks of the US civil service and slash spending. 

Senate Democrats have voiced opposition to the Bill but also have a history of criticising government shutdowns as needless chaos that they say hurts their constituents. Several have said they would vote for the measure to avert a shutdown.

At least 100,000 of the government’s 2.3 million civilian workers have so far been fired or taken a buyout, and Mr Trump has effectively shuttered agencies that handle foreign aid and consumer protections. His administration has

ordered a second round of layoffs

as well, with plans due later this week.

Democrats say Mr Trump’s downsizing effort runs roughshod over Congress’ authority over spending matters.

The Bill would extend government funding until the end of the fiscal year on Sept 30. Increases in defence, veterans’ care and border security would be offset by cuts to some domestic programmes. REUTERS