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The House on Wednesday was poised to vote on legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in US history, as Democrats voice fury that the Senate-brokered compromise fails to extend expiring healthcare subsidies.
The House speaker, Mike Johnson, has instructed lawmakers to return to Washington after keeping the chamber out of session for more than 50 days.
On Monday, a splinter group of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance legislation that would fund the federal government through the end of January, without extending the tax credits. The move sparked a furious backlash among Democrats, many of whom have called the plan a betrayal. Influential progressive groups have even called for Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, to resign.
All Republicans supported the measure’s passage, except for Rand Paul of Kentucky, along with eight moderate members of the Democratic caucus, several of whom were recently re-elected, or serving their final terms in office.
The expected House vote, on day 42 of the shutdown, comes as hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers miss paychecks, millions of Americans risk losing food assistance and airlines warn travelers to brace for continued disruptions.
On Tuesday night, the House rules committee voted 8-4 along party lines to advance the Senate package, setting the stage for it to come to the House floor on Wednesday.
At the start of the hearing, the panel’s top Democrat, Jim McGovern, welcomed Republicans back to Washington, decrying their absence during the shutdown.
“Where the hell have you been?” he asked, during in his opening remarks adding later: “Republicans quiet quit their jobs. They disappeared.”
Virginia Foxx, the committee’s chair, blamed Democrats for causing the shut down, and noted sharply they walked away “empty handed” after insisting they would not relent until securing an extension of the enhanced healthcare subsidies.
While they did not win that concession, the senators who broke with the Democratic caucus claimed credit for getting the Republican Senate majority leader, John Thune, to agree to hold a vote by mid-December on an extension of the tax credits.
If the subsidies expire, millions of Americans could see sharp rises in their healthcare premiums or lose their marketplace coverage entirely.
The short-term government funding bill would extend government funding at current levels through January 2026 along with three year-long provisions that will fund programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the USDA and FDA, and legislative branch operations. The continuing resolution also includes language to stop mass federal firings and reverse dismissals that occurred during the shutdown – prohibiting additional reductions until the end of January – and guarantees back pay to workers who have spent weeks without paychecks.
Speaking Tuesday at a press conference on Capitol Hill, Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, said it was his “strong expectation” that House Democrats will vote against the proposal. He joined a group of Democratic lawmakers to unveil an amendment that would extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years. The proposal was rejected by the Republican-controlled House rules committee on Tuesday night.
“Because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis that already exists, that they failed to address, healthcare for people all across this country is on the brink of becoming unaffordable,” Jeffries said.
With a 219-member majority assuming full attendance, Johnson can only afford to lose two votes on the bill, and the Kentucky representative Thomas Massie is likely to vote no. But Republican leaders have expressed optimism that the legislation would pass on Wednesday, and be sent to Trump for his signature.
Addressing a crowd at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, Veterans day, Trump congratulated Johnson, calling the Senate bill a “very big victory”.
“We’re opening up our country,” he added. “Should have never been closed.”
