The measure now heads to the Senate where it’s unclear if the bill has 60 votes to overcome a procedural hurdle.
WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives passed a bill on March 11 to fund the government through Sept. 30.
The measure, known as a continuing resolution, passed in a near party-line vote of 217-213. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the sole Republican to vote against the bill, and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the lone Democrat who voted for it.
It now goes to the Senate, where it must receive the support of at least 60 senators to pass a procedural hurdle and advance to a final vote—meaning that eight Senate Democrats would need to vote for the measure.
It is uncertain if the bill has enough Democratic support in the upper chamber. If the measure is not passed by March 14, the federal government will go into shutdown.
The 6-month government funding bill, backed by President Donald Trump, would boost defense funding by about $6 billion compared to last year, while nondefense spending would drop by $13 billion. It also provides additional funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement requested by the Trump administration.
Overall, the legislation provides $7 billion in savings over current funding levels, according to GOP aides.
The bill also includes a measure to block congressional Democrats from introducing resolutions to block Trump’s new tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
On Tuesday morning, the House GOP caucus met with Vice President JD Vance, who called for Republicans to vote yes on the bill to allow Republicans to focus on passing Trump’s legislative agenda and to give the administration time to secure the border, said House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) at a press conference following the meeting.
Trump earlier called on Republicans to support the bill “so we can continue to put the country’s ‘financial house’ in order.”
House Republicans have typically been against continuing resolutions with reasons ranging from what they describe as fiscal irresponsibility to inadequate funding for the military.
