Senate Blocks Stopgap Funding Bill Narrowly Passed in the House

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Key Points

About This Summary

• The Senate didn’t pass a stopgap bill to fund the government until just before Thanksgiving, after the House narrowly passed it.
• The bill funds the government at current levels through November 21 and includes $58 million for executive and Supreme Court security.
• House Democrats opposed the bill, calling it a ‘partisan, reckless, Republican spending deal,’ while Republicans called opposition unwarranted.

The Senate failed to pass a stopgap bill aimed at funding the federal government until just before Thanksgiving. Earlier in the day House lawmakers narrowly passed the measure by a vote of 217-to-212.

The Senate version of the bill failed by a vote of 44-to-48 with all but one Democrat, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, opposing it. Among Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky, were the sole Republicans to vote against the measure.

In the House, votes were largely along party lines as well. All but two Republicans, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana, voted for the measure. Democrats were uniformly opposed except for Jared Golden of Maine.

The bill, which Republicans introduced earlier this week, funds the federal government at existing levels through Nov. 21 and includes $58 million in security for the executive branch and Supreme Court in light of heightened security concerns following the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

While several Republican Congress members voiced opposition to the bill earlier in the week, enough sided with the Republican leadership to push the measure through.

In debate before the vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, criticized the bill as a “partisan, reckless, Republican spending deal.” Democrats are looking to roll back spending cuts signed into law this summer that restrict Medicaid eligibility and raise the cost of marketplace health plans.

Republican Tom Cole from Oklahoma, who heads the Appropriations Committee, argued that opposition to the bill was unwarranted, since negotiations on issues of concern to Democrats are under way. “This is a manufactured crisis,” he said.

Shutdown odds currently remain around 50% on betting site Polymarket. Current government spending extends through Sept. 30.

Write to Anita Hamilton at anita.hamilton@barrons.com