House Blocks GOP’s Push for Trump’s Controversial Agenda, Risks Government Shutdown!

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives dismissed a GOP proposal that would have deferred a showdown on government funding until the succeeding president is inaugurated and advanced a harmful voter restriction initiative endorsed by the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

The conclusive tally was 202-220, with 14 Republicans uniting with nearly all members of the House Democratic caucus to vote against the legislation. GOP critics of the bill comprised of extreme-right lawmakers favoring expenditure cuts.

Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Don Davis (D-N.C.), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) diverged from their party and supported the Republican continuing resolution, which aimed to largely continue government funding at present levels until March.

Following Trump’s endorsement, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) consented to append to the continuing resolution the SAVE Act, a law ostensibly designed to prevent noncitizens from voting—a deed already deemed as illegal. Advocates of voting rights have denounced the SAVE Act as an “unnecessary and risky” bill that would “impede the voter registration process for people of color and naturalized citizens.”

“Rather than collaborating with Democrats to fund the government, House Republicans twisted themselves in an effort to fulfill Trump’s wishes.”

House Democrats stated on Wednesday that the failure of the GOP continuing resolution was an unavoidable result of the party’s choice to advance radical spending bills instead of pursuing a bipartisan resolution to government funding.

Unless Congress takes action, the government will shut down on October 1. Johnson indicated prior to Wednesday’s vote that there is “no backup plan.”

“Once more, the House Republican majority has been unsuccessful in accomplishing its fundamental responsibilities while attempting to impose Trump’s severe and unpopular Project 2025 agenda on the American populace,” stated Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Everyone in Washington, Democrats and Republicans, knew that this poorly thought out continuing resolution was destined to fail. It’s baffling why we spent almost two weeks deliberating on a partisan bill, merely days away from a government shutdown.”

“We have seven legislative days left to keep the government functioning,” she added. “Negotiations should have commenced last week on a continuing resolution that could garner support from Democrats and Republicans in both the House and Senate—but if Republicans are prepared to collaborate and actually govern, starting now is acceptable.”

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), the leading Democrat on the House Budget Committee, stated late Wednesday that “if House Republicans persist in promoting Project 2025 funding bills, they will keep pushing our country towards a government shutdown.”

“Trump declared he’d ‘shut down the government in an instant’ to advance his Project 2025 agenda—and instead of cooperating with Democrats to fund the government, House Republicans have tied themselves in a bind trying to deliver what Trump desires,” said Boyle. “Just as they have done over the past two years, House Republicans have demonstrated their preference for imposing Trump’s risky agenda over making an effort to assist middle-class families and keep our government operational. American families deserve better than this radical bill and they deserve better than House Republicans.”

Democratic legislators are reportedly planning to propose a clean three-month extension of government funding to avoid a shutdown and provide time to negotiate a more permanent agreement on government expenditure.

Prior to Wednesday’s vote, DeLauro cautioned that House Republicans believe postponing the government funding dispute until March 2025 would provide them “more leverage to enforce their unpopular cuts to services that American families rely on to make ends meet.”

“This bill signifies an acknowledgment that a House Republican majority is incapable of governing,” stated DeLauro. “They prefer to risk an election intervention rather than attempt to finish their work on schedule.”