Big Update On Government Shutdown
A partial federal government shutdown is now expected to continue into at least Tuesday, after House Democrats declined to guarantee the votes needed to quickly move a funding bill that would reopen the government.
The standoff comes as Congress struggles to finalize a spending agreement, leaving federal agencies operating under limited authority while Washington debates next steps.
House lawmakers are scheduled to resume work Monday afternoon, when the House Rules Committee will review the funding proposal and set the terms for debate. However, floor votes on both the procedural rule and final passage of the funding bill are not expected until Tuesday at the earliest.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said Sunday he remains confident the government will reopen soon, even if Republicans are forced to act without Democratic cooperation.
“We’ll get this done by Tuesday,” Johnson said during an appearance on Fox News. “But it appears we’ll need to move forward through the regular rules process, likely without Democratic support.”
Johnson expressed frustration with the delay, noting that the funding measures included in the package have already been approved in previous votes.
“These are not new bills,” he said. “This is largely a procedural matter at this point.”
Republican leadership had initially hoped to move the funding package through a fast-track process, which would have allowed for quicker passage. That option collapsed after House Democrats declined to commit the votes needed to advance the bill under expedited rules.
Fast-tracking legislation in the House requires a two-thirds majority, meaning Republicans would have needed significant Democratic backing to proceed.
House Democratic leaders defended their position over the weekend, arguing that they should not be excluded from the process and calling for additional debate on the funding agreement.
As a result, Republicans are now preparing to advance the legislation through the standard House rules process — a more time-consuming approach that comes with political risk due to the GOP’s narrow majority.
In recent years, party-line votes have become increasingly unpredictable, often giving individual lawmakers leverage to push last-minute demands or delay key legislation.
One such issue involves election integrity. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has urged leadership to attach legislation requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Several versions of the proposal are currently under consideration.
Speaker Johnson acknowledged that securing every Republican vote will require extensive discussions in the coming hours.
“We’ve got a lot of conversations to have,” he said.
After the Texas Democrat is officially sworn in, Republicans will be able to lose only one vote on any party-line measure if all members are present.
Meanwhile, the Senate has already passed a $1.2 trillion funding package that includes five annual appropriations bills, along with a short-term funding extension for the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS funding has become a focal point in the broader debate over border security and immigration enforcement. Democrats are seeking policy changes during the temporary funding window, including new operational restrictions and additional oversight requirements.
Speaker Johnson said the decision to separate DHS funding was made at the direction of President Trump, allowing lawmakers additional time to debate border enforcement reforms.
Democratic leaders have indicated they intend to use the two-week extension as leverage to push for changes to immigration policy, setting the stage for another high-stakes showdown in Congress as the funding deadline approaches.
