US House votes on funding bill to end longest government shutdown
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The US House votes on a federal funding bill to end the longest government shutdown in history, with Trump’s support and rising tensions among Democrats.
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The House of Representatives is seen on the morning after Election Day, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, November 5, 2025, day 36 of the government shutdown (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The US House of Representatives is set to vote on Wednesday on a stopgap federal funding bill aimed at ending the longest US government shutdown in history. The legislation would restore key services disrupted by the impasse, including food assistance, federal worker pay, and air traffic control operations.
Republicans currently hold a narrow 219–213 majority in the House. The bill has drawn strong support from US President Donald Trump, which is expected to unify House Republicans despite significant pushback from Democrats.
Donald Trump backs the deal amid Democrat opposition
Eight Senate Democrats broke with party leadership earlier this week to help pass the funding package, which would extend federal spending through January 30. The extension would allow the government to continue adding about $1.8 trillion annually to its current $38 trillion debt.
“My urgent plea of all my colleagues in the House -- that means every Democrat in the House -- is to think carefully, pray, and finally do the right thing,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday, after keeping the chamber in recess for nearly two months as a negotiation tactic.
Many House Democrats remain firmly opposed, frustrated by the Senate agreement that came just days after high-profile Democratic wins in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City. Party leaders had hoped those victories would strengthen their leverage to extend federal health insurance subsidies.
"Donald Trump and Republicans believe the affordability crisis in America is made up. That's why these extremists haven't done a damn thing to lower the high cost of living. You deserve better," said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a social media post.
If the House approves the bill, it would go to Trump for final signature. On Tuesday, he praised the Senate’s passage of the deal as “a very big victory.”
Shutdown impacts food aid, air traffic, and federal workers
The federal funding bill seeks to alleviate disruptions caused by the shutdown, including halting food assistance programs, delaying pay for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and hobbling the air traffic control system.
The legislation includes three full-year appropriations bills to support military construction, agricultural programs, particularly those providing food aid to low-income Americans, and the legislative branch.
Additional provisions spark partisan backlash
The return of the House also brings renewed focus on unrelated political matters. Speaker Johnson could soon face a vote to release all unclassified documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender. Johnson and Trump have both previously resisted such efforts.
Democrat Adelita Grijalva, elected in a September special election to replace her late father, Raul Grijalva, will be sworn in on Wednesday. She is expected to provide the final signature needed to force a House vote on the Epstein records issue.
The funding package also contains a provision allowing eight Republican senators to seek financial damages for alleged privacy violations stemming from the federal investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. It would retroactively outlaw obtaining a senator’s phone data without disclosure and allow affected lawmakers to sue the Justice Department for $500,000, plus attorneys' fees.
"Not a cent for healthcare, but Republicans wrote in a corrupt cash bonus of at least $500k each for 8 GOP Senators," said Senator Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, via social media.
The vote is expected to pass later Wednesday, despite some limited opposition from within the Republican ranks. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Representative Victoria Spartz of Indiana, both of whom opposed an earlier funding package in September, may vote against it.
However, the House Freedom Caucus, known for obstructing previous spending bills, is not expected to block this round.
"I believe we're all going to be on board with this," said Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, chairman of the group.
