Government Shutdown Bills Pass The House; Now It’s Up To The Senate

(CTN News) – To avoid a partial government shutdown, the House of Representatives passed the remaining six appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024 on Friday morning.

There could be consequences for House Speaker Mike Johnson. He is being removed as Speaker by GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Defense, homeland security, financial services, general government, labor-HHS, and legislative branch are included in the $1.2 trillion package. Funds the federal government shutdown until Sept. 30.

Two-thirds of the votes were needed. It was 286-134 in the end.

The vote may be tighter than GOP leaders thought Thursday night.

Labor-HHS subcommittee chairman Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., said he’ll vote against the bill because of earmarks senators inserted.

In a statement, he said the Senate took liberties with their Congressional Directed Spending requests that wouldn’t pass in the House.

In addition, Government Shutdown Republican members expressed disappointment that the package didn’t go further on strengthening the border and criticized the short timeframe between the text’s release and Friday’s vote.

The subcommittee on defense chair, Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., urged his colleagues to support the bill.

If this package doesn’t pass, the only other option will be a full year continuing resolution, which will threaten our national security,” he told lawmakers before the vote. “A no vote goes to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Hamas.”

Democrat Rosa DeLauro, ranking member of the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, called it a compromise.

Both sides didn’t get everything they wanted in this bill, she said. The House Republicans’ extreme cuts and policies were rejected, so I’m happy.”

First woman to lead Government Shutdown funding negotiations with Rep. Kay Granger, Sen. Collins and Murray.

What’s in the box?

Republican and Democratic wins in the package.

Republicans are promoting an increase in ICE detention beds and cutting funding to NGOs. Additionally, they’re promoting a provision preventing the Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning gas stoves and another preventing diplomatic facilities from flying non-U.S. flags.

Head Start program gets $12 billion, including $1 billion in childcare and early education.

Another provision getting a lot of attention is the stoppage of funding for UNWRA, the United Nations agency that provides aid to Palestinians. After the Government Shutdown Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Israel alleges that UNWRA staff participated in the attack.

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