The House of Representatives appears to be on a glide path to ending the longest government shutdown in history, with lawmakers racing back to Capitol Hill after six weeks out of session. The 42-day shutdown — which has led to thousands of air travel delays, left millions of people who rely on federal benefits in limbo, and forced thousands of federal workers either off the job or to work without pay — could come to an end before the end of this week.
The House Rules Committee will meet to consider the Senate’s amended federal funding plan sometime after 5 p.m. Tuesday, two sources told Fox News Digital. The committee serves as the final hurdle for most legislation before it sees House-wide votes. Lawmakers on the key panel vote to advance a bill while setting terms for its consideration, like possible amendment votes and timing for debate.
The funding bill at hand is expected to advance through the committee on party lines, with Democrats on the panel likely to oppose the measure in line with House Democratic leaders, while Republicans have signaled no meaningful opposition. Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., the two Republicans on the committee who have most often opposed GOP leaders’ legislation for not being conservative enough, both suggested they would be supportive of the funding measure. Roy told Fox News Digital on Monday night that he would vote "yes" on the bill on the House floor, meaning he would likely not oppose it in the House Rules Committee. Norman, who is running for governor, emphasized the need to "READ THE FINE PRINT" and "VERIFY THE TOP LINE SPENDING LIMITS" as it relates to the three full-year spending bills included in the bipartisan compromise passed by the Senate on Monday night.
The deal includes a new extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Jan. 30, giving Congress more time to negotiate a longer-term deal on FY 2026 spending. It also advances legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch. In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs conducted by the Trump administration in October, with those workers getting paid for the time they were off. Additionally, it guarantees Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending Obamacare subsidies, which were enhanced during the pandemic and are set to expire at the end of this year.
Extending the enhanced subsidies for Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was a key ask for Democrats in the weeks-long standoff. However, no such guarantee was made in the House, leading to Democrats effectively folding on their key demand to end the shutdown — a move that angered progressive lawmakers. The full House is expected to take up the measure sometime after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, following a "rule vote" to green-light debate. The House schedules for both Tuesday and Wednesday were left intentionally fluid to accommodate lawmakers returning to Washington amid nationwide flight delays and cancellations imposed by the shutdown.
The House was last in session on Sept. 19, when lawmakers passed legislation to keep the government funded through Nov. 21. The bill passed with support from one House Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and opposition from two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. No further House Republicans have signaled public opposition to the new measure so far. As the nation awaits the resolution of this political impasse, the focus remains on restoring federal services and ensuring the continued operation of essential government functions.