Washington, Feb 3 (.) The House of Representatives is poised to vote Tuesday on a sweeping funding package aimed at ending the partial government shutdown of Washington that kickstarted last Saturday, with lawmakers from the Democrats and the ruling Republicans trying to resolve the ongoing standoff, which is noted to primarily be driven by disputes over the GOP administration’s stringent immigration enforcement tactics.
The legislation bundles together five full-year spending bills to fund core govt departments, including Defence, State, and Treasury, while providing only a two-week extension for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
That short-term fix reflects Democratic demands for time to negotiate changes as to how immigration bodies, in particular, President Donald Trump’s contentious group, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can carry out their enforcement operations in a more efficient and less violent manner.
The package cleared the House Rules Committee late Monday night on an 8–4 party-line vote, setting up a floor showdown Tuesday.
Before lawmakers can vote on final passage, House Speaker Mike Johnson must first shepherd the bill through a procedural “rule” vote late Tuesday morning — a test that will require near-perfect Republican unity.
With a narrow 218–214 majority, Johnson can afford to lose only one GOP vote if all members are present, reports CBS News.
The narrow margin was further threatened by conservative demands to attach the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act, legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
While the bill passed the House last year, it is currently stalled in the Senate, with its inclusion or non-passage now being a core factor in passing the funding deal, or otherwise derailing it altogether, and in turn potentially extending the partial shutdown.
The White House intervened Monday evening, as President Donald Trump urged Republicans to move quickly without amendments, posting on Truth Social that lawmakers should approve the deal and send it to his desk “WITHOUT DELAY,” stressing there should be “NO CHANGES at this time.”
The message appeared to calm the revolt, as after convening at the White House, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee — both aligned with the push to add the SAVE Act — said they would vote to advance the package, citing assurances that election issues would be addressed separately.
The Democrats, meanwhile, have made clear they will not help Republicans advance the bill procedurally, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declaring Monday that “Republicans have a responsibility to move the rule,” adding it was “hard to imagine a scenario where Democrats are going to provide Republicans” with votes at that stage.
Still, the final vote could tell a different story. While Democratic leaders pledged over the weekend not to fast-track the legislation, dozens of Democrats are expected to support it on final passage.
The funding framework was negotiated between Senate Democrats and the White House, and many Democrats back the five full-year appropriations bills included in the package.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Monday she plans to vote yes, citing the importance of reopening the government and the temporary nature of the DHS funding extension.
The two-week DHS stopgap gives Democrats leverage to press for immigration enforcement reforms, while forcing both parties back to the table almost immediately.
Lawmakers on both sides have voiced cautious optimism that a compromise can be reached within that window.
In the Senate, the bill’s future is increasingly uncertain, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warning that adding the SAVE Act could doom the package in the upper chamber — prompting President Trump’s intervention.
For now, the House vote is the critical hurdle, intending to swiftly end the shutdown and buying time for the next, likely contentious, round of negotiations, all the while uncertainty grips Capitol Hill.
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