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Senate Strikes Deal to Fund Government, Averting a Shutdown

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The U.S. Senate struck a deal to fund the government on Thursday, averting a partial government shutdown as the mid-term elections loom large.

Senate Democrats and Republicans agreed to split the bill “funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) off from a ‘minibus’ package of five other major funding bills,” per The Hill.

The Senate will instead move a stopgap bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund DHS at current levels until Feb. 13.

The two sides had haggled over the length of the CR, with Democrats insisting on the two-week version that won out.

Republicans had sought a six-week CR.

Top Republicans will reportedly circulate the deal among its members to see if any amendments will be necessary. The five remaining bills covering the departments of Defense, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor and Education are “full-year measures, meaning that roughly 96 percent of the government will be funded for fiscal 2026.” (Read more from “Senate Strikes Deal to Fund Government, Averting a Shutdown” HERE)

House Votes to End Unprecedented Government Shutdown After 43 Days, Sending Funding Bill to Trump’s Desk

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The House on Wednesday passed a funding bill to end the longest government shutdown in US history, sending the legislation to President Trump’s desk for the final step to end the 43-day standoff.

In a 222-209 vote, the House voted to pass the funding bill it received from the Senate which will restart paychecks for federal workers and air traffic controllers, and fund food assistance programs.

The legislation finally “reopens the government, restores critical services, and puts an end to the needless hardship Democrats have inflicted on the country,” said GOP House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma.

Trump will sign the measure into law Wednesday night in the Oval Office, officially ending the shutdown.

“We feel very relieved tonight,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters after the vote. “The Democrat shutdown is finally over thanks to House and Senate Republicans, who stood together to get the job done.” (Read more from “House Votes to End Unprecedented Government Shutdown After 43 Days, Sending Funding Bill to Trump’s Desk” HERE)

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U.S. Senators Reach Deal That Could End Record Shutdown

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US senators reached a bipartisan deal Sunday that would resume federal funding and end a shutdown that has stretched to a record 40 days and forced many government operations to grind to a halt.

The deal between Democratic and Republican senators — just the first step to halting the shutdown — came as authorities warned US air travel could soon “slow to a trickle” as thousands more flights were cancelled or delayed over the weekend.

Outlets including CNN and Fox News reported lawmakers had reached a stopgap agreement to fund the government through January after wrangling over health care subsidies, food benefits and President Donald Trump’s firings of federal employees.

As news of the breakthrough emerged, Trump told reporters when he arrived at the White House after a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida: “It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending.”

The Republican-led Senate swiftly held a procedural vote Sunday aimed at moving the legislative measure forward, and the vote appeared to have support from enough Democrats to advance. (Read more from “U.S. Senators Reach Deal That Could End Record Shutdown” HERE)

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Meet The Mysterious Billionaire Paying American Troops During Government Shutdown

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Timothy Mellon isn’t like the other billionaires. If you haven’t heard of him, it’s because he’s rarely appeared in the press outside of a wedding announcement in 1963. He lives in Wyoming – not Jackson Hole, with the other elites of the west – in small town Saratoga, with a population of 1,760.

Despite keeping a low profile, Mellon is what Vanity Fair described as the most “consequential mega-donor” of the 2024 presidential election.

Amid the government shutdown, President Donald Trump announced that the administration received a $130 million donation to pay American troops. The donation was mysterious as the president refused to name the donor, who he called a “patriot” and friend. Sources later identified the donor to The New York Times, saying Timothy Mellon, grandson of former Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon, provided the funds anonymously.

When 83-year-old Mellon is talked about in the press, he is typically described as reclusive. Media outlets often use a photo of him from 1981 when writing about him. The billionaire rarely does interviews, though his family has spoken about him and his political donations in the past.

Those who know Mellon describe him as a “socially awkward” guy who “wears old aviator glasses with tape on the bridge,” Vanity Fair previously reported.

(Read more from “Meet The Mysterious Billionaire Paying American Troops During Government Shutdown” HERE)

Democrats Block Legislation To Pay Troops During Shutdown

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Democrats blocked the Senate from considering a defense spending bill on Thursday afternoon that would pay military service members during the shutdown.

Senators voted 50 to 44, with just three Democrats breaking with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to advance a full-year defense appropriations bill. The failed vote comes as Congress is locked in a stalemate to end the 16-day shutdown with Democrats largely refusing to cross party lines and reopen the government.

The defense appropriations bill would fund the Department of War for the upcoming fiscal year and ensure that active-duty troops do not miss a paycheck during the shutdown. The measure also includes a military pay raise.

Military personnel would have gone without pay for the first time in U.S. history on Wednesday if President Donald Trump had not tapped unused Pentagon funding to temporarily cover troop pay.

However, there is no guarantee of future paychecks for military personnel if the shutdown continues into November. (Read more from “Democrats Block Legislation To Pay Troops During Shutdown” HERE)

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REPORT: Democrats Trigger Schumer-Led Government Shutdown With No Exit Plan in Sight

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As the clock ticks down to a midnight government shutdown, Senate Democrats — led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — are poised to filibuster a clean, short-term spending bill, virtually guaranteeing a lapse in government funding. Despite the looming crisis, Democrats are offering no clear path to end the shutdown they are helping to initiate.

The Republican-sponsored measure would have kept the government funded through November 21, buying more time for negotiations. But Democrats, demanding $1.5 trillion in unrelated policy concessions, have refused to support the extension — despite not presenting a viable alternative.

“It’s right now impossible to say — there are about 20 different possible exit ramps — some of them good, some of them troubling,” admitted Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) when asked about the Democrats’ strategy.

Hours before the deadline, even Senate Republicans were left baffled by the Democrats’ lack of a coherent plan to end the shutdown once it begins.

“I don’t think my Democratic friends have thought through how to get this thing back open,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA). “And I don’t think they have thought through what I believe the OMB Director is going to do while the government is shut down.”

Kennedy warned that the Trump administration could leverage the shutdown to reduce federal workforce numbers or cut funding to programs typically favored by Democrats — actions that could become permanent.

President Donald Trump echoed those concerns from the Oval Office on Tuesday, hinting that the administration may take aggressive action during the shutdown.

“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for [Democrats] and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out … cutting programs that they like,” Trump said.

Despite Democrats’ resistance, the White House appears ready to let the shutdown run its course — potentially using the opportunity to trim federal programs long targeted by conservatives.

While Democrats are blocking the clean resolution, they’re simultaneously placing the blame for the shutdown on Trump and Republican lawmakers.

“I’ll quote President Trump as he’s said repeatedly, ‘It’s the responsibility of the president to keep the government open.’ Those are his words. I believe him,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). “They control every part of the government. It’s the president’s job.”

Meanwhile, others like Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are banking on Republicans eventually buckling to Democrat demands. “At some point they’re going to come to the table realistically because there’ll be such mounting pressure,” Blumenthal said.

Those demands include reversing cuts to foreign aid, restoring public broadcasting funds, and extending COVID-era healthcare subsidies that are not set to expire until year’s end.

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Here’s Why Democrats Are Trying To Force a Government Shutdown

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The radical left is at it again, folks. As we approach the March 14 deadline to fund the government, Democrats are playing their favorite game: manufacturing a crisis to force through their bloated spending agenda.

While Republican leadership works tirelessly to pass a sensible continuing resolution (CR) that would freeze spending and secure our southern border, Democrats are deliberately orchestrating a shutdown. Their endgame? Protecting their precious slush funds and derailing President Trump’s America First agenda.

And, of course, stopping the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dead in its tracks.

“Congress must keep the government open so that DOGE can continue to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in our government. This continuing resolution is necessary to advance President Trump’s agenda,” Rep. Andy Harris, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said in a post on X. “I fully support it.”

That’s what’s at stake. Keeping the government funding will allow DOGE to maintain its vital oversight functions. But Democrats would rather shut down the government than allow transparency and accountability. (Read more from “Here’s Why Democrats Are Trying To Force a Government Shutdown” HERE)

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Johnson Attempts Plan C to Avert Government Shutdown

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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Friday announced yet another plan to avert a government shutdown.

“Yeah, yeah, we have a plan. We’re expecting votes this morning, so you all stay tuned. We’ve got a plan,” Johnson said Friday morning as he entered the Capitol building.

The government will shut down if Congress fails to pass a spending bill by the end of Friday.

The House rejected a short-term spending bill after Republican leadership scrapped a compromise plan with Democrats that was riddled with Democrat carveouts, and benefits to Big Pharma, among other controversial issues. (Read more from “Johnson Attempts Plan C to Avert Government Shutdown” HERE)

House Rules Committee Nixes Vote on Short-Term Spending Bill After GOP Opposition

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The House Rules Committee on Monday opted against voting on a short-term spending bill that would avert a government shutdown, setting the stage for a scenario in which House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will need to rely on Democrats to pass the contentious measure.

Johnson’s three month continuing resolution, which would keep the government funded through Dec. 20, was expected to be among a slate of bills approved by the GOP-controlled rules committee Monday night but it was not brought up for consideration after multiple Republicans expressed opposition to the measure.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a member of the rules committee, argued that the House speaker was attempting to “set up a government funding crisis the week before Christmas” to pressure lawmakers to vote for a bill that would be written “behind closed doors.”

“Why Christmas? So he can pressure Members to vote for a bill they haven’t read, by using their desire to see their families on Christmas Eve against them,” the Kentucky Republican wrote on X. . .

Without a rule, House GOP leadership is expected to bring the spending bill to the floor under a procedure known as suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass. (Read more from “House Rules Committee Nixes Vote on Short-Term Spending Bill After GOP Opposition” HERE)

Jamaal Bowman: I Pulled the Fire Alarm Because…Republicans Are Nazis?

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Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) has tried and so far largely failed to explain or justify his decision to pull a fire alarm in a Capitol Hill office building as Congress rushed to avert a federal government shutdown. Now, his desperation to put an end to criticism and push back on punishment for his conduct from House Republicans has taken a predictable but pathetic turn. . .

So scrambling to take the heat off of himself, Bowman’s office suggested Democrats in Congress asked about the situation choose from a list of “suggested talking points” to back up their colleague-under-fire ranging from the literally unbelievable to the utterly absurd. . .

Here’s a sampling of what Bowman wants his colleagues to say about Bowman’s apparent caught-on-tape breach of DC and federal laws:

. . .

“I believe Congressman Bowman when he says this was an accident. Republicans need to instead focus their energy on the Nazi members of their party before anything else.”

“There are multiple insurrectionist supporters in Congress and more who supported a coup and support Trumpʼs Big Lie. Thatʼs what they should be focused on. Instead their focus on Rep. Bowman is an attempt to minimize January 6th.”

(Read more from “Jamaal Bowman: I Pulled the Fire Alarm Because…Republicans Are Nazis?” HERE)

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