By Anita Hamilton

A spending bill crafted by Republicans to fund the government beyond this Friday could come up for a full floor vote in the House of Representatives as soon as Tuesday, but the real test will be in the Senate.

That is because Republicans only need a simple majority to pass a continuing resolution in the House. Their 218-to-214 majority allows for one defection among their ranks to hit that number, assuming all House members cast a vote. So far, only one Republican, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, has said he would oppose the bill. A few others have indicated that they are on the fence, including Tony Gonzales of Texas.

It is a much different story in the Senate, which requires 60 votes for the bill to pass. With just 53 Republicans in the upper chamber, Republicans will need to court several Democratic senators to push the bill through. Pennsylvania's John Fetterman, a Democrat, has already indicated he will support it. That still leaves Republicans six votes short.

"We're putting a clean CR on the floor early next week, probably on Tuesday," House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Saturday.

While it calls for spending much the same as current levels, the bill would increase defense outlays by around $6 billion, while lowering nondefense spending by $13 billion compared with 2024 fiscal year levels. Pay increases for junior enlisted military personnel and increased funding for "air-traffic control priorities" are some of the areas where the bill seeks to raise outlays.

If passed, the bill would fund the government through Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

In a fact sheet laying out her opposition to the bill, Democrat Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, said the bill gives President Donald Trump and his efficiency chief Tesla CEO Elon Musk "even more leeway to shutoff and repurpose funding as they see fit."

"Among the many problems, the bill forces evictions of more than 32,000 households, jeopardizes Social Security, slashes infrastructure investments, and cuts nutrition assistance," DeLauro said.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia also criticized the bill, writing on X, "This is a shutdown bill that's bad for the economy -- let Trump shutdown whatever he wants, hurting everyday folks to use money for tax breaks for the uber-rich."

Trump, meanwhile, is urging lawmakers to pass the continuing resolution. "I am asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the Country's "financial house" in order. Democrats will do anything they can to shut down our Government, and we can't let that happen," he wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.

If the bill isn't passed in both houses by midnight Friday, some federal workers could be furloughed without pay until funding is resumed. Shutdown odds look relatively low for now. The betting site Polymarket put them at 29% as of late Monday.

Write to Anita Hamilton at anita.hamilton@barrons.com

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March 10, 2025 17:33 ET (21:33 GMT)

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