Bill to Avoid Shutdown Passes in 217-213 Vote

A stopgap funding bill to avoid a partial government shutdown passed the House in a 217-213 vote on Tuesday, with one Republican and one Democrat bucking their parties. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine voted for the bill, while GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted against it, the Hill reports. The measure, which funds government agencies until Sept. 30, will now head to the Senate, where it will need at least 8 Democratic votes to pass. Government funding is set to expire at midnight Friday.

The bill boosts defense spending by around $6 billion and cuts non-defense spending by $13 billion, but it otherwise largely retains spending levels set by Joe Biden last year. Unlike similar measures in the past, the bill was supported by almost all the Republican deficit hawks in the House, with Massie the only exception, Politico reports. In a Truth Social post, President Trump said Massie should be primaried and he would "lead the charge" against him, but House Speaker Mike Johnson is standing by Massie for now. Massie argues that Republican leaders always promise fiscal reform is coming soon, but always end up relying on stopgap bills, reports the New York Times. (More government spending stories.)