Lawmakers have until midnight to pass a $1.2 trillion funding package to stave off a partial government shutdown. Follow here for the live updates:
Senate Passes $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill
By Joseph Lord
The U.S. Senate has passed a $1.2 trillion minibus spending package that was passed by the House earlier in the day.
It will now go to President Joe Biden, who’s expected to sign it.
The passage comes as the government had technically gone into a partial shutdown, though a short-lived one lasting only two hours.
The bill, coming in at over 1,000 pages and $1.2 trillion in spending, rocketed through Congress this week after its introduction around 2:00 a.m. on Thursday.
It was passed by the House on Friday morning, waving a rule requiring that members be given 72 hours to read a bill’s text after its introduction. The package was passed by the lower chamber in a 286–134 vote, with most Democrats supporting it and the majority of Republicans opposing.
Its progress in the Senate was delayed for several hours due to a disagreement between Republicans and Democrats about the rules for amending the bill.
Its final passage by Congress came less than 48 hours after the massive bill was unveiled to the public, a process harshly criticized by several Republicans.
Government Goes Into Shutdown As Voting Begins
By Joseph Lord
The government has gone into a partial shutdown after the Senate failed to give the green light to a House-passed $1.2 trillion spending legislation by the midnight deadline.
The shutdown is on track to be a short-lived one, however.
After an hours-long standoff between Republicans and Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that the impasse had been resolved and voting would begin shortly.
The Senate currently is voting on a series of amendments to the House-passed package, which must be voted on before final passage.
After a passage in the House on the morning of March 22 under suspension of the rules, the bill stagnated for hours in the Senate due to procedural disagreements between Republicans and Democrats. The bill passed in a 286–134 vote, with most Democrats supporting it and the majority of Republicans opposing.
Hopes for a Vote Dwindle on Verge of Shutdown
By Joseph Lord
Hopes for a late night vote series to pass the House-passed $1.2 trillion minibus spending package are dwindling as behind-the-scenes partisan squabbling continues.
Meanwhile, the government is just hours away from going into a partial shutdown.
Asked whether there’s still hope for votes moving into the early hours of the morning, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told The Epoch Times, “The hope is still there but the reality? I don’t know.”
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) echoed the sentiment, saying “Your guess is as good as mine” when asked the prospects for a vote tonight.
According to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), the delays are due to a disagreement between Republicans and Democrats about the rules for amendment votes: Republicans are seeking a 50-vote threshold to pass amendments, while Democrats are pushing for a 60-vote threshold.
This is in part because Democrats want to avoid making swing state moderates like Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) the deciding vote on tough issues like the border and immigration.
“These amendments that have been offered are germane, technically. So they’re at 50 [votes],” Mr. Hawley told The Epoch Times. “And the Democrats don’t want them at 50 because several of these swing state Dems would vote yes. And then they would pass and then they get attached to the bill and the House is gone.
“So they want to set them at 60. Of course, our side doesn’t want them at 60. So it’s that kind of thing.”
Mr. Marshall said that swing state Democrats “don’t want to take any tough votes because they’re in tight, tight elections and so they’re not willing to take a couple of tough votes on amendments,” Mr. Marshall reported.
If votes aren’t held tonight, they could be pushed until Sunday to allow Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has an unbroken voting record going back to 1997, to return home Saturday for her mother’s funeral.
Swing State Democrats Holding Up Votes
By Joseph Lord
As behind-the-scenes wrangling on the spending package continues, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) says progress is being held up by Democrats in tight race swing states.
Asked whether he thought there was “a high chance” there would be a vote tonight, Mr. Marshall, an opponent of the bill, said, “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Further pressed to explain the delays, Mr. Marshall said, “You know, it’s in the hands of, you know, Tester and Brown,” referencing Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who are facing uphill reelection campaigns in otherwise scarlet red states.
These two “don’t want to take any tough votes because they’re in tight, tight elections and so they’re not willing to take a couple of tough votes on amendments,” Mr. Marshall reported.
Senator Says Agreement Reached on Vote
By Samantha Flom
Rising to state his opposition to the spending package, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said members appeared to have reached an agreement on it.
“I know my time might be short tonight because we’ve finally, I guess, come to an agreement on a vote,” Mr. Bennet said.
The senator went on to say that he could not support the minibus because it did not include funding for Ukraine.
Republican House Appropriations Chair Stepping Down
By Chase Smith
In an announcement that could reshape the direction of fiscal policy and spending priorities in the United States Congress, Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) has formally requested the Republican Steering Committee and Conference to select a new Chair for the House Appropriations Committee.
This decision comes after Ms. Granger’s tenure as the leading Republican on the committee since 2019, a powerful role in Congress where she has played a pivotal role in the allocation of federal spending across various sectors.
Ms. Granger’s announcement came only hours after the House passed a $1.2 trillion spending package to fund 70 percent of the government, which now heads to the Senate hours before a midnight shutdown deadline.
The spending bill only passed as a result of the help of Democrats, with all but 23 joining with Republicans to support the bill while 134 Republicans opposed it.
House conservatives have railed against the spending package and Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) waiving of a 72-hour review period rule—with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) going as far as filing a motion to strip Mr. Johnson of the gavel, known as a motion to vacate.
Ms. Greene’s motion to vacate comes months after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from the position also over his support of bipartisan appropriations bills.
Ms. Granger mentioned the passage of the spending bill earlier in the day in her formal letter to Mr. Johnson informing him of her decision.
“When my colleagues made me the first Republican woman to Chair the Appropriations Committee, my goal was to pass conservative bills out of the Committee, get them to the floor, and get them signed into law,” she wrote. “Despite Republicans having a very slim majority, today marks the completion in the House of the second spending agreement this month that prioritizes our nation’s security and represents the first overall cut to non-defense, non-veterans spending, in almost a decade.”
Schumer Files Cloture on Government Funding Bill
By Jackson Richman
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has filed cloture in the event the process to pass the $1.2 trillion bill to fund the remaining 70 percent of the government is not expedited.
However, were the Senate to go through the normal process that is used to pass legislation, a partial government shutdown would occur, as scheduled on March 23 at midnight, as the normal procedural hurdles take days to clear.
In order for the Senate to speed the process and pass the bill expeditiously, no senator can object.
Sen. Lee Wants to Stop Expansion of Leadership Staff
By Jacob Burg
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is proposing an amendment to the government funding package that would effectively undo the pay agreement among top staffers for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Many of these senate leadership staffers are paid “consultants,” something Mr. Lee wants to stop.
He has called Mr. McConnell and Mr. Schumer “The Firm” and strongly opposes the efforts between the two men to bring forward the Senate’s version of the funding package, as well as a Senate Foreign aid bill.
Mr. Lee is also calling on other Republicans to vote against the package once it reaches the Senate on March 22 and warned it would lead to more staffers hired by Senate leadership.
“The 1,012-page spending bill doesn’t secure the border, but rest assured—it paves the way for Senate leadership to hire additional staff,” he said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The senator is against a provision in the funding package that would provide more money for Senate leadership staff consultants, which has been in practice for more than 20 years, although the amount has gradually increased.
If Mr. Lee’s amendment manages to get a roll call vote and eventually pass, it would undo this process and stop funding consultants.
While it’s not clear if the amendment will reach a vote, it shows the level of frustration against Senate leadership from some Republicans.
Conservatives Fuming After House Passes $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill
By Jacob Burg
Republicans are railing against the $1.2 trillion spending package to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year after it passed through the House on March 22.
The bill passed 286–134, with 112 Republicans and 23 Democrats against it and another 101 Republicans voting for it.
GOP support for the bill drew ire from Republicans in both the House and Senate within minutes of the House passing the funding package.
“Take note of the [Republicans] who vote for this spending bill and get them out of Washington,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“If we don’t take a stand, we will lose this country. You are seeing the beginning of the end for the United States of America,” the congressman added.
Mr. Burchett explained why he voted against the bill in another post on X following the vote.
“I voted against spending $1.2 trillion, including [a] $27 billion increase for the Pentagon, $880 million for Middle Eastern countries’ borders [but not our own!], and $300 million more for Ukraine,” he said.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Motion to Oust Speaker Johnson
By Samantha Flom
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has formally moved to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from his leadership role in frustration over a $1.2 trillion spending package Congress is working to pass today to avoid a shutdown.
Ms. Greene filed the motion to vacate on March 22 as members of the House voted to fund the remaining 70 percent of the federal government through the rest of the fiscal year.
The funding package, comprising six appropriations bills, was introduced in the wee hours of March 21—just one day ahead of the deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. Despite fierce opposition from roughly half of the GOP conference, the measure passed under a suspension of the rules in a two-thirds majority vote.
“This is a betrayal of the American people. This is a betrayal of the Republican voters,” the congresswoman told reporters outside of the Capitol following the vote.
While noting that she was not alone in thinking it was time for a leadership change, Ms. Greene stressed that her purpose in filing the motion was not to “throw the House into chaos.”
“Committees will continue doing their work, investigations will continue. … I support Republicans holding the majority next conference, but we need a speaker of the House that knows how to negotiate, knows how to walk in the room, knows how to hold the line, and knows how to defend America first and the values and the policies that President Trump will bring.”
House Passes Spending Package
The House overwhelmingly passed the $1.2 trillion bill to fund the remaining 70 percent of the government.
The final tally was 286-134 with 112 Republicans and 23 Democrats against it.
The bill is expected to pass the Senate, but whether it will do so before the midnight deadline is uncertain.
McConnell Urges House Passage of Ukraine, Israel Package
By Jackson Richman
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vouched for the $1.2 trillion bill but focused on what he said is the need to also pass a package that would give assistance to Israel, Ukraine, and the Indo-Pacific.
“Congress has a say and a responsibility and our work on fiscal year 2004 defense appropriations represents a critical down payment but important requirements will remain unmet even after the needed investments this defense bill will make,” said Mr. McConnell on the Senate floor shortly before the House passed the bill with just over a two-thirds majority needed for passage.
“Republicans recognize the constraints of the budget caps and we worked hard to ensure that the national security supplemental we passed in the Senate would make further critical investments in our own military and defense industrial capability,” he continued.
Mr. McConnell called on the House to take up the national security package “without further delay.”
“Together with full-year appropriations, the supplemental is a serious, urgent, and necessary investment in American hard power,” he said.
Schumer: ‘Let’s Finish the Job of Funding the Government’
By Jackson Richman
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on his colleagues to “finish the job of funding the government” ahead of the midnight deadline.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Mr. Schumer called for avoiding “unnecessary delays” as 70 percent of the government will shut down on Saturday if it is not funded.
“Democrats and Republicans have about 13 hours to work together to make sure the government stays open,” he said. “That’s not going to be easy.”
Mr. Schumer announced the Senate would move as soon as the House passes the $1.2 trillion government funding package.
The Senate could expedite the process if no member objects to doing so. Otherwise, the government will partially shut down as there would not be enough time to clear the upper congressional chamber’s usual procedural hurdles.
“If individual senators resort to partisanship and stonewalling and delivering, those individuals will almost guarantee that we shut down and the process could drag into Saturday, Sunday and possibly beyond,” said Mr. Schumer.
Burchett: Funding Package ‘Beginning of the End’ of USA
By Jacob Burg
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tn.) criticized the minibus funding package in a March 22 post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Take note of the [Republicans] who vote for this spending bill and get them out of Washington,” he said.
“If we don’t take a stand, we will lose this country. You are seeing the beginning of the end for the United States of America.”
Greene Rises in ‘Extreme Opposition’ to Funding Package
By Jacob Burg
After declaring her plans to vote against the funding package on social media the day prior, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) rose to condemn the bill on the House floor on March 22, calling it an “atrocious attack on the American people.”
“I rise in extreme opposition to the second part of the omnibus bill. No Republican in the House of Representatives [in] good conscience can vote for this bill,” she said.
“It is a complete departure of [sic] all of our principles.”
Ms. Greene reiterated her frustration with House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) and said he should not bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
“[I]t is the will of our voters and it is the will of Republicans across the country that this bill should not be brought to the floor, that this bill will absolutely destroy our majority and will tell every single one of our voters that this majority is a failure,” she said.
“This is the bill that the White House cannot wait to sign into law.”
Greene Raises Possibility of Ousting Johnson
By Jacob Burg
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told Steve Bannon on March 21 about the possibility of initiating a motion to vacate against House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.).
“I think you can stay tuned,” she told Mr. Bannon.
“Will you lead the charge?” Mr. Bannon asked.
“Steve, we are going to be making decisions [on] a minute-by-minute basis today and I urge you to watch and see what happens,” Ms. Greene replied.
Texas Border Democrat: Spending Legislation is ‘a Strong Border Security-Homeland Bill’
By Jackson Richman
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) touted the $1.2 trillion government funding bill as “a strong” bill for border security and the Department of Homeland Security.
He cited the increased number of border security agents and detention beds for illegal aliens under the bill.
DHS would get $61.8 billion, a $1.1 billion increase over the 2023 fiscal year. Customs and Border Protection would receive $400 million toward combating the influx of fentanyl, a major problem as the deadly drug crosses the southern border via cartels and other sources.
The bill allocates $2.2 billion for processing asylum seekers and related purposes.
DHS will have 24 percent more beds in detention centers for illegal immigrants and an additional 22,000 Border Patrol agents, as proposed under a tough border security bill previously passed by the GOP-controlled House that was dead in the Democrat-controlled Senate. The funding also covers 41,500 detention beds, also proposed under the previous House bill.
Jeffries: Funding Negotiations Not a ‘Perfect Process’
By Jacob Burg
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) was another vocal supporter of the minibus funding package on March 22 while noting the negotiations between both parties “hasn’t been a perfect process.”
“But we said ‘never let the perfect be the enemy of the good’ when it comes to solving problems on behalf of hardworking American taxpayers.
“And this is a good result for the American people in terms of standing up for their health, their safety, their education, their national security, protection and of course, above all else, their economic well being a bipartisan process, leading to a bipartisan result,” Mr. Jeffries said.
The Democratic House leader said he hopes the efforts will “lay a foundation” for further work between both parties to “find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues on any issue … as long as that will make life better for the American people.”
“I hope that as we move forward—and our promise to you, but more importantly to the American people who expect that in this Congress—we should have more common sense and less chaos.
“We should have more decency, less dysfunction, and more exceptionalism and less extremism,” Mr. Jeffries added.
He also vowed to “put people over politics” before urging his colleagues to support the bill.
DeLauro Lauds Minibus Funding Package
By Jacob Burg
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Ct.) stood to support the government funding package on the House Floor on March 22, championing it for being led by women.
“I am proud to make history with such experienced appropriators. 2024 marks the first time negotiations on government funding have been led on all four corners by women,” she said.
“This bill sides with the hard working majority of Americans. It helps to lower the cost of living, it protects women’s rights and access to reproductive health care that reinforces America’s global leadership, and it helps our communities be safe and secure,” Ms. DeLauro added.
The congresswomen called the funding package an achievement of bipartisanship.
“I am pleased that Democrats and Republicans again united to make government work for the people of this country, like the funding bill we passed earlier this month.
“This legislation does not have everything either side may have wanted, but I am satisfied,” she added.
Roy: ‘If You Vote for This Bill, You Own It’
By Samantha Flom
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, kicked off the debate on the House floor with a warning to his fellow Republicans.
“This bill is over a thousand pages long. It contains hundreds of pages of report language, 1,400 earmarks, and we’ve had about 24 hours to review it. That is not the way to do business. And the American people and American families are the ones left holding the bag,” Mr. Roy said.
“This is business as usual in the swamp. And here’s the deal to my Republican colleagues: You will own every single bit of this. If you vote for this bill, you own it.”
The congressman said the minibus “punts” several key Republican priorities and leverage points, like making Department of Homeland Security funding contingent on passage of H.R. 2, the House’s border security legislation.
“You own the continued mass parole of illegal aliens into our country. You own that. That’s the truth. And it was mass parole that led to a Venezuelan gang member coming into the United States and killing Laken Riley,” Mr. Roy said, chiding his colleagues for campaigning on Ms. Riley’s name while supporting the minibus.
“You could end what happened yesterday in Texas, where a hundred illegal aliens bum rushed our border, rolled over the Texas National Guard, fled into this country, went to Border Patrol to get released into the United States. That is what this bill continues to fund,” he continued.
“And any of my Republican colleagues who want to spend this year campaigning against open borders—it’s a laugh. Because today, if you vote for this abomination of a bill, you will be voting to fund it.”
Freedom Caucus Chairman Swats Down Question on Possibly Ousting Johnson as Speaker
By Jackson Richman
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.) appeared to dismiss a question from a reporter about the possibility of stripping the gavel from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who succeeded former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) after Mr. McCarthy was ousted last October.
“It is the speaker’s decision to bring this to the floor for a vote,” he said.
“You guys ask us every day about the status of the speaker. But I don’t think anybody here talked cavalierly or flippantly about the speaker a year ago,” continued Mr. Good. “We focused on policy. We focused on actions. We focused on performance or lack thereof. And we’re doing the same thing today.”
Rep. Norman Calls on Speaker Johnson to Shut Down the House
By Jackson Richman
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) called on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to shut down the House over the $1.2 trillion government spending bill.
He explained that Mr. Johnson could do so by removing a ceremonial ornamented staff called a mace. The mace is in place next to the speaker’s chair when the House is in session and it is a 184-year-old custom.
“Take the mace down, cut the lights off, and say we will not come back until you stop the invasion at the border,” said Mr. Norman, calling for the Democrat-controlled Senate to pass a tough border security bill that the House passed last year.
Texas Congressman Calls Bill ‘Swamp Glossary’
By Jackson Richman
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) slammed Congressional GOP leadership over the $1.2 trillion government spending bill, calling it a “swamp glossary”—a reference to Washington’s nickname, “the Swamp.”
“Frankly, our Republican leadership or basically walking swamp glossary,” the Freedom Caucus member said.
He cited what he said are excuses from his party’s leadership such as that the GOP majority in the House is thin.
Mr. Roy said that Republicans who vote for the bill, which is expected to overwhelmingly pass the House, are “risking the election.”
House Freedom Caucus Chair: Spending Bill More than That Under Pelosi-Schumer
By Jackson Richman
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.) railed against the $1.2 trillion government spending bill, saying it is worse than the spending when the Democrats controlled Congress under the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
“It does seem this bill again maintains the Pelosi-Schumer policies and spending levels exactly,” said Mr. Good. “It actually increases spending levels by about $60 billion that were in place from the omnibus that we all voted against a year and a half ago, but it has some new things that we want to point out here,” he said at a press conference.
Mr. Good lamented the earmarks and $200 million for the new FBI headquarters in the bill.
Greene to Vote No, Calls GOP Majority ‘Complete Failure’
By Jacob Burg
Re. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said on March 21 that she would vote no for the newest government funding package, voicing her frustration with the House GOP majority.
“Our Republican majority is a complete failure,” said Mr. Greene in a post on X.
“We have the power of the purse, which means we can control what the entire government does.”
The congresswoman linked to a video in her post that showed illegal immigrants pushing through a barricade at the southern border, flanked by Border Patrol guards.
“Tomorrow Speaker Johnson is funding the government that has created this invasion,” she said, referring to the group of migrants in the video.
“I’m voting NO! SHUT IT DOWN!”
House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) also posted the same video to X on March 21, saying “Every American should witness this chilling footage.”
“This is the result of the Biden Administration refusing to secure our border and protect America,” Mr. Johnson added.
Job Creators Network Urges Passage of Minibus
By Samantha Flom
The nonpartisan Job Creators Network (JCN) released a statement calling on Congress to pass the appropriations package.
“Job Creators Network continues to believe that the federal government is too big and unelected bureaucrats have too much power,” said Alfredo Ortiz, JCN president and CEO.
“That said, we commend the House for provisions in the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 that, among other things, reduces funding for the IRS and the Department of Labor, claws back $2.6 billion in unused COVID funds, and ensures border patrol officials have the resources they need to protect the country. The Job Creators Network encourages all members of Congress to pass this bill.”
House to Vote on $1.2 Trillion Spending Deal Hours Before Shutdown Deadline
By Jackson Richman, Joseph Lord
The House is set to vote on a $1.2 trillion spending package at 11 a.m. ET on March 22 to fund 70 percent of the government to avert a partial shutdown.
While the House will likely pass it overwhelmingly, using an expedited process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage—in addition to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) waiving the House GOP rule that requires members to have 72 hours to review legislation before it is voted on—how fast it will pass the Senate is uncertain.
The bill could pass the Senate quickly if no senator objects to expediting the process.
What’s in the $1.2 Trillion Government Funding Package
By Jackson Richman
In the wee hours of March 21, the text of the second appropriations bill—totaling $1.2 trillion—to fund most of the U.S. government was unveiled.
The second tranche of spending legislation covers 70 percent of the federal government. This includes the Defense, Treasury, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and State departments.
If Congress does not pass the bill by March 23, a partial government shutdown will occur.
Here’s how the bill breaks down.
Conservatives Express Anger Over $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill
By Jackson Richman, Joseph Lord
Conservative Republicans didn’t hold back on March 21 over the $1.2 trillion spending bill that would fund 70 percent of the government—as the clock ticked toward a partial government shutdown on March 23.
The bill, the text of which was unveiled in the early morning hours of March 21—less than 48 hours before a shutdown was set to begin—immediately reignited tensions in the Republican conference and concerns about House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) leadership of the lower chamber.
“They did make some cuts, but it’s not what I would like,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told reporters in a gentle voice.
But Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) vented about the bill, which would fund agencies such as the Defense Department, and directed his ire at Mr. Johnson, saying he “blew it.”
“It’s total lack of backbone, total lack of leadership, and a total failure by Republican leadership, there’s no other way to describe it,” Mr. Roy said on “Bannon’s War Room.”
“This bill is an abomination.”
From The Epoch Times
