Republicans Release Stopgap Funding Bill as Democrats Double Down on Opposition

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) takes questions from members of the press at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 16, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday released the text of a Republican-backed bill funding the federal government through Nov. 21 that Democratic leaders have said they won’t support because it fails to address cuts to health coverage for millions of Americans.

The bill continues current funding levels but adds a total of $58 million for extra security for the executive branch and Supreme Court in light of heightened concerns following the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last week.

Republican leaders have called the bill a “clean” resolution free of any major changes—a characterization some Democrats have disputed. “Partisan legislation that continues the unprecedented Republican assault on healthcare is not a clean spending bill,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on X Monday. “It’s a dirty one.”

The soonest the resolution could come up for a floor vote is Friday afternoon, since House rules typically require a 72-hour waiting period. If the resolution passes, it would then move to the Senate. Lawmakers face a tight deadline with just six days in session before current government funding ends on Sept. 30.

The bill’s passage is far from certain, with not only Democratic lawmakers voicing opposition, but some Republicans balking as well. Among House Republicans, at least four have indicated that they’re opposed to it, including Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Warren Davidson of Ohio. If all four opposed the measure, it would fail in the House, assuming all members vote.

Passage in the Senate is even tougher because 60 votes are needed, and there are only 53 Republicans. Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has said his caucus won’t support a bill that fails to “satisfy the American people’s need on healthcare and lower people’s costs.”

While a shutdown is possible, investors may not care what happens either way. “Government shutdowns are political events rather than market events,” Stifel wrote in a Tuesday note. “We believe that investors have become conditioned to tune out the noise from the political drama.”

It could cause some economic disruption, however, such as a halt in Small Business Administration loan applications as well as registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Stifel noted.

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