With the clock ticking toward a Friday government shutdown deadline, House Republicans unveiled a 99-page stopgap funding bill on Saturday that’s got President Donald Trump’s enthusiastic seal of approval.
This continuing resolution (CR) aims to keep the government humming through September 30, pumping a modest boost into defense while trimming the fat from non-defense spending—a clear signal that the GOP is ready to go it alone if Democrats keep playing hardball.
Trump took to social media Saturday, rallying the troops: “All Republicans should vote (Please!) YES next week. Great things are coming for America, and I am asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the Country’s ‘financial house’ in order.”
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The president sees this as a springboard for his real prize: a blockbuster spending plan with tax cut extensions from his first term, unshackling American wallets from Biden-era bloat.
The bill’s a lean machine—boosting defense by $6 billion to keep our military sharp, while slashing non-defense discretionary spending by $13 billion below 2024 levels. Veterans’ healthcare gets a $6 billion lifeline, proving GOP priorities stay with those who’ve served.
It’s a calculated move to dodge Democratic demands for equal treatment of defense and non-defense hikes, banking on Republican unity to shove it through Congress’s tight margins: a 218-215 House edge and a 53-47 Senate split.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can’t afford many defectors—one “no” might be his limit. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is already grumbling, vowing on X to nix any “clean CR” lacking a 1% across-the-board cut he fought for under Kevin McCarthy.
The bill’s non-defense trims might sway him, but he’s yet to tip his hand post-text release. Still, other fiscal hawks are warming up. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a Freedom Caucus stalwart, credits Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for flipping his stance.
“I don’t like CRs, but DOGE is exposing waste the American people see,” Norman said. “That’s why I’ll be voting for it.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), another CR skeptic, softened after a White House powwow with Trump. “I’m open to it. I want to see what’s in it,” he told reporters. Even House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.), no fan of stopgaps, sees it as the best shot with bipartisan talks dead.
Democrats, though, are crying foul. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Appropriations ranking member, slammed it as a “power grab for the White House,” whining that it kills full-year funding talks benefiting “the middle class.”
She’s got a beef with Musk, too, snarling that Republicans “handed their power to an unelected billionaire.” House Dems are passing around a hit list of reasons to tank it—Medicaid cuts top the chart— signaling they won’t ride to Johnson’s rescue like past shutdown scares.
The math’s brutal. Johnson needs near-lockstep GOP votes in the House, then seven Senate Democrats to breach the 60-vote hurdle—tough when Chuck Schumer’s crew smells blood.
But with Trump’s cheerleading and DOGE’s waste-hunting hype, Republicans are betting on momentum.
This isn’t just about keeping lights on—it’s a down payment on Trump’s vision to gut the swamp and slash taxes. If Massie and the hawks hold firm, it’s headed for the Oval Office. If not, Friday’s shutdown chaos looms. Game on.
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