House Passes Funding Bill, Shutdown Fight Moves to Senate

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House Passes Funding Bill, Shutdown Fight Moves to Senate/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The House narrowly passed a seven-week funding bill to avert a partial government shutdown, but Senate approval remains unlikely. Democrats oppose the measure, demanding healthcare subsidies and Medicaid protections. With both parties entrenched, a shutdown on October 1 remains a serious possibility.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., tells reporters that Republicans are jeopardizing health care for Americans with their policies and their strategy to fund the government before the deadline at the end of the month, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Passes Funding Bill, Shutdown Fight Moves to Senate – Quick Looks

House passed short-term bill 217-212 to fund government through Nov. 21.
Speaker Mike Johnson insists bill has no partisan “poison pills.”
Former President Trump urged Republicans to unite and vote yes.
Democrats oppose the plan, citing healthcare subsidies and Medicaid cuts.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Republicans “own a shutdown.”
Senate will consider House bill and rival Democratic measure.
Neither expected to reach the 60 votes needed.
Senate could adjourn until Sept. 29, just before the deadline.
Schumer faces pressure after siding with GOP in March funding fight.
Shutdown remains possible as October 1 deadline nears.

Deep Look: House Passes Funding Bill, But Senate Gridlock Threatens Shutdown

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday narrowly approved a short-term spending bill aimed at keeping the government funded until Nov. 21, temporarily staving off a partial shutdown. But the measure faces steep challenges in the Senate, where Democrats are pressing for healthcare protections and Medicaid funding reversals.

The House vote was 217–212, with Republicans united after Speaker Mike Johnson leaned heavily on party discipline and former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

“We were very careful. We put no partisan measures in this. There’s no poison pills. None of that,” Johnson said before the vote.

Trump echoed the call on social media:

“Every House Republican should UNIFY, and VOTE YES!”

Senate Outlook: Two Bills, Few Options

The bill now heads to the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has pledged to allow votes on both the House bill and a competing Democratic plan. Neither is expected to secure the 60 votes required for passage.

The Senate is set to recess next week for Rosh Hashanah, with lawmakers potentially returning as late as Sept. 29, just one day before the shutdown deadline.

Democratic Demands: Health Insurance and Medicaid

Senate Democrats are rallying around a rival plan that would:

Extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of 2025.
Reverse Medicaid cuts included in a GOP tax and spending package passed earlier this year.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York insists the public is on their side:

“The American people will look at what Republicans are doing, look at what Democrats are doing, and it will be clear sentiment will be on our side.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed that message, warning:

“Republicans will own a government shutdown. Period. Full stop.”

Internal Democratic Tensions Resurface

Schumer remains under scrutiny from progressives after his controversial decision in March to side with Republicans in passing a funding extension. At the time, Schumer argued a shutdown would empower Trump and lead to deeper cuts. That move angered the Democratic base and briefly strained relations with Jeffries, who opposed the earlier GOP-led bill.

Now, both leaders say they are aligned. Schumer argues the public’s view of Trump and the GOP has shifted after Medicaid cuts. Still, some Democrats remain uneasy about strategy as the October deadline looms.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) suggested Trump’s posture leaves little room for compromise:

“Look, the president said really boldly, don’t even talk to Democrats. Unless he’s forgotten that you need a supermajority to pass a budget in the Senate, that’s obviously his signal he wants a shutdown.”

Republican Counterattacks

Republicans argue Democrats are manufacturing the crisis. Senate GOP leaders have cited Schumer’s own past warnings against shutdowns.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the chamber’s No. 2 Republican, said:

“Senator Schumer himself said that passing a clean CR will avert a harmful and unnecessary shutdown. Now he wants to cause a harmful and unnecessary shutdown.”

Republicans believe passing their House bill strengthens their case politically, allowing them to claim Democrats are holding out for partisan priorities.

What’s at Stake

Without a deal by Oct. 1, nonessential federal services will close, millions of employees may face furloughs, and economic disruption could ripple nationwide. Democrats hope to highlight their push to reduce health insurance costs, while Republicans position themselves as the party preventing a shutdown.

For now, both sides are entrenched — and the standoff may extend until the last possible day before the deadline.