Bipartisan coalition blocks Trump-backed spending bill

A coalition of Democrats and fiscal conservatives defeated a temporary extension to government funding Thursday evening, setting Congress on the path to a government shutdown that will kick in at midnight on Friday unless a deal can be reached.

Thirty-eight Republicans voted against the bill, along with 197 Democrats in a 174-235 vote. Two Democrats voted for the bill.

One Democrat, Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, voted present.

What was in the bill? The bill included four core elements: a government funding extension that ran through March of 2025, a suspension of the federal debt ceiling until Jan. 30, 2027, over $100 billion in emergency disaster funding, and an lifeline extension of agriculture-related government programs, some of which expire in January.

Why did Democrats vote against it? The measure is U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s second attempt at a stopgap bill. His first package, which he unveiled Tuesday evening, was shot down by Republicans in the House for being too big, too expensive, and containing too many unrelated add-ons Democrats negotiated into its final text.

Democrats leaving a closed-door meeting moments ahead of Thursday’s vote blasted Republicans for abandoning that bipartisan bill, accusing GOP leadership of operating in bad faith.

Why did 38 Republicans vote against it? The most fiscal conservatives in the House have consistently opposed any extension of government funding that doesn’t also attempt to reduce the national deficit. This bill, like the three other spending extensions considered in 2024, was no exception.

Dig deeper: How did Republicans arrive at the second bill? What kind of pressure forced Speaker Johnson to abandon his first effort? Read my reporting from earlier on Thursday.