House voting on funding patch as parties trade blame for potential
shutdown
[September 19, 2025]
By KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican and Democratic lawmakers show no signs of
budging as the House takes up a bill Friday to avert a partial
government shutdown in less than two weeks.
The bill would generally continue existing funding levels through Nov.
21. Democratic leaders are adamantly opposed and are threatening a
government shutdown if Republicans don't let them have a say on the
measure, as some Democratic support will be needed to get a bill to the
president's desk for his signature.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has few votes to spare as he seeks to
persuade Republicans to vote for the funding patch, something many in
his conference have routinely opposed in past budget fights. But this
time, GOP members see a chance to portray the Democrats as responsible
for a shutdown, which would begin Oct. 1, unless Congress acts.
In a sign the vote could be close, President Donald Trump weighed in
Thursday, urging House Republicans to pass the bill and put the burden
on Democrats to oppose it. GOP leaders often need Trump’s help to win
over holdouts on legislation.
“Every House Republican should UNIFY, and VOTE YES!” Trump said on his
social media site.
Republicans can pass the bill in the House if they stay united, and the
speaker expressed confidence Thursday he had the votes.
“We’re going to get this government funded,” Johnson said.
Across the Capitol, though, Senate Democrats are hoping the public will
support their proposal to head off a big increase next year in health
insurance premiums for millions of Americans who purchase coverage
through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. They
unveiled their own funding plan to extend the enhanced health insurance
subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus reverse Medicaid
cuts that were included in Republicans’ “big beautiful bill” enacted
earlier this year.
“The American people will look at what Republicans are doing, look at
what Democrats are doing, and it will be clear that public sentiment
will be on our side,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who
has repeatedly threatened a shutdown if health care isn't addressed.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the Senate will vote on
the House bill Friday, if it passes, along with the dueling Democratic
proposal. But neither is expected to win the 60 votes necessary for
passage.
Senators could then potentially leave town until Sept. 29 — one day
before the shutdown deadline. The Senate has a scheduled recess next
week because of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks about the killing of
conservative activist Charlie Kirk and defended employers who take
action against their workers whose comments go too far, at the
Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott
Applewhite)
Democrats on both sides of the Capitol are watching Schumer closely
after his last-minute decision in March to vote with Republicans to
keep the government open. Schumer argued then that a shutdown would
be damaging and would give Trump and his White House freedom to make
more government cuts. Many on the left revolted, with some advocates
calling for his resignation.
The vote in the spring also caused a temporary schism with House
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who opposed the GOP spending bill
and said he would not be “complicit” with Schumer’s vote.
The two Democratic leaders now say they are united, and Schumer says
things have changed since March. The public is more wary of Trump
and Republicans, Schumer says, after the passage of Medicaid cuts.
Most Democrats appear to be backing Schumer's demand that there be
negotiations on the bill — and support his threats of a shutdown,
even as it is unclear how they would get out of it.
Republicans say the blame would be clearly on the other side if they
can’t pass a bill — and are using Schumer's previous arguments
against shutdowns against him.
“Democrats would love nothing more to put in our lap a shutdown.
It’s not going to happen. If it does, it’s on them,” said Rep. Ralph
Norman, R-S.C., a member of the House Freedom Caucus, whose members
have frequently opposed short-term funding bills, known as
continuing resolutions.
Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, 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.”
___
Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this
report
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