Politics

Shutdown Showdown: How Speaker Johnson’s Funding Bill Puts Democrats on the Spot

House passed funding bill to avert shutdown. Senate vote looms; Democrats face pressure to compromise.

September 19, 2025, 12:24 PM

Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at the Republican National Convention

House Speaker Mike Johnson addresses the crowd at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. By Shutterstock.com / Maxim Elramsisy.

Executive Summary

The House of Representatives, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, passed a seven-week stopgap funding bill (217-212) to avert a government shutdown, sending the measure to the Senate.

The vote intensifies the political standoff and increases the likelihood of a government shutdown, as both parties are unwilling to compromise and may leave Washington without a clear path forward.

Republicans propose a “clean” continuing resolution with minor allocations, while Democrats seek to include substantial health care policy changes, making a compromise difficult.

The Story So Far

The looming September 30 government funding deadline has created a political standoff between House Republicans and Senate Democrats, with each side pushing divergent approaches to a stopgap bill. Republicans, led by Speaker Johnson, passed a “clean” continuing resolution aimed at averting a shutdown while deferring policy debates, thereby increasing pressure on the Senate. Democrats, however, are leveraging the budget dispute to advance their policy priorities, including significant health care changes, and challenge President Donald Trump and the Republican majority, leading to a high likelihood of a funding lapse.

Why This Matters

The House’s narrow passage of a stopgap funding bill, a critical test for Speaker Johnson’s leadership, has intensified the political standoff rather than resolving it, significantly increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown as both parties remain entrenched in their divergent proposals. This move places considerable pressure on Senate Democrats to either accept the Republican’s short-term “clean” resolution or risk a lapse in funding, while also presenting an opportunity for Democrats to leverage the budget dispute to advance their policy priorities.

Who Thinks What?

House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, passed a “clean” seven-week stopgap funding bill through November 20, aiming to avert a government shutdown and pressure Democrats to accept their proposal, arguing that policy changes should be reserved for a comprehensive year-end funding package.

Democrats oppose the Republican stopgap bill, seeking to include substantial health care policy changes, such as extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, and are leveraging the budgetary dispute to advance their policy priorities.

The House of Representatives, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, passed a seven-week stopgap funding bill on Friday, aiming to avert a government shutdown ahead of the September 30 deadline. The narrow 217-212 vote sends the measure to the Senate, intensifying pressure on Democrats to either back the Republican proposal or risk a potential spending stalemate.

House Vote and Leadership Test

Friday’s vote served as a critical test of Speaker Johnson’s ability to unite his often-divided Republican conference, given his slim majority that allowed for only two defections. Republican Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted against the bill, while Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine crossed party lines to support it.

Despite the deadline being over a week away, the vote significantly increases the likelihood of a funding lapse. Both Republican and Democratic leaders are currently unwilling to compromise, and lawmakers from both chambers could potentially leave Washington for the upcoming week without a clear path forward.

GOP Strategy and Senate Pressure

In an effort to escalate pressure on Democrats, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed that GOP leaders considered recessing lawmakers through October 1 if the bill passed. This move would effectively force senators to either approve the House’s measure or allow government funding to lapse by the end-of-month deadline.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats reached an agreement with GOP leaders to vote on competing funding bills on Friday – the Republican proposal and a Democratic counterproposal. Both measures are widely expected to fail. Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated that he plans to reintroduce the GOP plan for another vote closer to the September 30 deadline, aiming to compel Democrats to accept it or face a prolonged shutdown.

Divergent Funding Proposals

Republicans have characterized their bill, which would fund the government through November 20, as a “clean” continuing resolution (CR). It includes minor allocations, specifically $30 million for congressional security and $58 million for security for the executive and judicial branches. The bill also incorporates a funding “fix” for Washington D.C., which would release $1 billion of the city’s own funds by correcting a previous legislative error.

In contrast, the Democratic bill includes substantial health care policy changes, such as extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year-end. Republicans argue that these issues are inappropriate for a short-term funding bill and should instead be negotiated as part of a comprehensive year-end funding package.

However, Democratic leaders, facing pressure from their base to challenge President Donald Trump and the Republican majority, are keen to leverage this budgetary dispute to advance their policy priorities.

Outlook for Averting Shutdown

As the September 30 deadline rapidly approaches, the passage of the House GOP’s stopgap bill has intensified the standoff between the two parties. With both sides currently entrenched in their positions and competing legislative proposals on the table, the path to averting a government shutdown remains highly uncertain.