Trump Urges GOP to Pass Funding Bill to Avoid Shutdown

President Donald Trump is calling on Republican lawmakers to unite behind a funding bill set to be discussed at the end of September, aiming to prevent a government shutdown despite opposition from Democrats.

This week, House GOP leadership managed to draft a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) that would keep government operations running until mid-November. However, there’s criticism from several House Republicans about the approach of delaying funding agreements until later in the year; they’ve vowed to oppose any short-term CR.

“In these times, Republicans must fight back against the demands of the radical Left Democrats and stick together to vote, ‘Yes!’ on both votes that need to pass the clean CR from the House of Representatives this week,” Trump expressed on social media. He added, “Democrats want the government to close, Republicans want it to open.”

Trump emphasized, “Failure is not an option.”

The proposed “clean” CR would extend government budgets at the same level as the previous year, without any additional policy changes.

Speaker Mike Johnson can afford to lose only two Republican votes, given the current 219-213 majority in the House. There is little support for this GOP spending bill aimed at avoiding a shutdown.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have both pledged to oppose the partisan fundraising effort. They are specifically demanding concessions from Republicans regarding the renewal of enhanced subsidies from the Affordable Care Act.

Interestingly, Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, was one of the few who supported the GOP spending bill back in March.

Thomas Massey, a Republican known for his alignment with Trump on key policies, is seen as a solid supporter. A libertarian-oriented Republican, he compared Speaker Johnson’s approach to that of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who also favored a short-term CR in a recent post.

Massey is expected to be joined by Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz, who has publicly stated her opposition to the CR, despite previously pledging support for a GOP budget resolution in March. There are reports of lobbying from Trump during this ongoing debate, although Spartz has denied any claims that her stance was influenced by the president.

Other House Republicans, like Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have also criticized the strategy of delaying the funding bill until late November.