GOP leaders labor for support ahead of key test vote on ending partial
government shutdown
[February 03, 2026]
By KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson’s ability to carry out President
Donald Trump’s “play call” for funding the government will be put to the
test Tuesday as the House holds a procedural vote on a bill to end the
partial shutdown.
Johnson will need near-unanimous support from his Republican conference
to proceed. He can afford to lose only one Republican on party-line
votes with perfect attendance, but some lawmakers are threatening to
tank the effort if their priorities are not included. Trump weighed in
with a social media post, telling them “There can be NO CHANGES at this
time.”
“We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have
been raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless, and destructive
Shutdown that will hurt our Country so badly — One that will not benefit
Republicans or Democrats. I hope everyone will vote, YES!,” Trump wrote
on his social media site.
The measure would end the partial government shutdown that began
Saturday, funding most of the federal government through Sept. 30 and
the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks as lawmakers negotiate
potential changes for the agency that enforces the nation's immigration
laws — United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Running Trump's ‘play call’
Johnson said on “Fox News Sunday” it was Trump's "play call to do it
this way. He had already conceded he wants to turn down the volume, so
to speak.” But GOP leaders sounded like they still had work to do in
convincing the rank-and-file to join them as House lawmakers returned to
the Capitol Monday after a week back in their congressional districts.
“We always work till the midnight hour to get the votes,” said House
Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. “You never start the process with
everybody on board. You work through it, and you could say that about
every major bill we've passed.”
The funding package passed the Senate on Friday. Trump says he'll sign
it immediately if it passes the House. Some Democrats are expected to
vote for the final bill, but not for the initial procedural measure
setting the terms for the House debate, making it the tougher test for
Johnson and the White House.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has made clear that Democrats wouldn't
help Republicans out of their procedural jam, even though Senate
Democratic leader Chuck Schumer helped negotiate the funding bill.
Jeffries noted that the procedural vote covers a variety of issues that
most Democrats oppose, including resolutions to hold former President
Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt
of Congress over the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
“If they have some massive mandate,” Jeffries said of Republicans, “then
go pass your rule, which includes toxic bills that we don't support."
Key differences from the last shutdown
The path to the current partial shutdown differs from the fall impasse,
which affected more agencies and lasted a record 43 days.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., walks through the House
Rules Committee hearing room to meet with Republicans on the panel
as they try to advance a federal funding package and prevent a
prolonged partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington,
Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Then, the debate was over extending temporary, COVID-era subsidies
for those who get health coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
Democrats were unsuccessful in getting those subsidies included as
part of a package to end the shutdown.
Congress has made important progress since then, passing six of the
12 annual appropriations bills that fund federal agencies and
programs. That includes important programs such as nutrition
assistance and fully operating national parks and historic sites.
They are funded through Sept. 30.
But the remaining unpassed bills represent roughly three-quarters of
federal spending, including the Department of Defense. Service
members and federal workers could miss paychecks depending upon the
length of the current funding lapse.
Voting bill becomes last-minute obstacle
Some House Republicans have demanded that the funding package
include legislation requiring voters to show proof of citizenship
before they are eligible to participate in elections. Rep. Anna
Paulina Luna, R-Fla., had said the legislation, known as the SAVE
Act, must be included in the appropriations package.
But Luna appeared to drop her objections late Monday, writing on
social media that she had spoken with Trump about a "pathway
forward" for the voting bill in the Senate that would keep the
government open.
The Brennan Center for Justice, a think tank focused on democracy
and voting rights issues, said the voting bill's passage would mean
that Americans would need to produce a passport or birth certificate
to register to vote, and that at least 21 million votes lack ready
access to those papers.
“If House Republicans add the SAVE Act to the bipartisan
appropriations package it will lead to another prolonged Trump
government shutdown,” Schumer said. “Let’s be clear, the SAVE Act is
not about securing our elections. It is about suppressing voters."
Johnson has operated with a thin majority throughout his tenure as
speaker. But with Saturday's special election in Texas, the
Republican majority stands at a threadbare 218-214, shrinking the
GOP's ability to withstand defections.
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Associated Press video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this
report.
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