US House to vote on ending record-breaking govt shutdown with temporary funding Bill
PTC Web Desk: The US House of Representatives is preparing to vote on Wednesday to end the longest government shutdown in American history. Lawmakers will decide on a short-term funding Bill that aims to restart federal programmes like food assistance, pay government workers and fix disruptions in air traffic control.
The Republican Party holds a narrow majority in the House, with 219 seats compared to the Democrats’ 213. President Donald Trump’s backing of the funding Bill is expected to unite Republicans, despite strong opposition from House Democrats.
The Bill, already passed by the Senate, would keep the government running until January 30. It would also add roughly $1.8 trillion per year to the country’s existing $38 trillion national debt.
House Speaker Mike Johnson urged all members, including Democrats, to support the measure. “Think carefully, pray, and do the right thing,” Johnson said.
Democrats, however, remain angry that the Senate deal did not secure an extension of federal health insurance subsidies, something they had hoped to achieve after winning recent state elections in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries criticised Republicans, saying they were ignoring the nation’s affordability crisis.
If the House approves the Bill, it will go to President Trump for his signature. He has already called the Senate’s approval “a very big victory.”
In addition to reopening the government, the House may also vote soon on releasing all unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender. Newly elected Democrat Adelita Grijalva is expected to provide the final signature needed to force a vote on this issue.
The funding Bill also includes full-year budgets for military construction, agriculture programmes (including food aid), and legislative operations. It further allows eight Republican senators to sue the Justice Department for $500,000 each over alleged privacy violations during the January 6 Capitol riot investigation.
Democratic Senator Patty Murray criticised that provision, calling it a “corrupt cash bonus” for Republican senators, while noting there was “not a cent for healthcare.”
The House vote is expected late Wednesday. While a few Republicans, such as Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana, may oppose it, the hardline Freedom Caucus is not expected to block the Bill, according to its chairman, Andy Harris.
- With inputs from agencies
