Trump urges House Republicans to unite and pass clean temporary funding bill

Trump urges House Republicans to unite and pass clean temporary funding bill

President Donald Trump has called on House Republicans to unite and pass a clean temporary funding bill to avoid a partial government shutdown later this month. The plea comes as GOP leadership quietly works on a stopgap measure to keep the government’s lights on through November 21, with the measure set to kick in at 12 a.m. on October 1 .

Trump, on his Truth Social platform, emphasized the need for Republicans to stick together to fight against what he calls the "Radical Left Democrat demands" and to vote "YES!" on both votes needed to pass a Clean Continuing Resolution (CR) this week. He specifically mentioned Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson as key figures in the GOP leadership's plan .

Meanwhile, Democratic leadership in the House and Senate has publicly insisted on forcing a shutdown at 11:59 p.m. on September 30. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) stated that any partisan legislation that continues the "unprecedented Republican assault on healthcare" is not a clean spending bill but a "dirty one" .

Republicans will need support from Senate Democrats to avoid a shutdown, as continuing resolutions require 60 votes to clear the Senate's legislative filibuster. The GOP currently holds 53 Senate seats with all members present. Last week, Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced they want vague concessions on health care funding in order to back down .

GOP leadership hopes to get the continuing resolution on Trump’s desk by the end of this week to avoid last-minute drama. However, they must keep all their members onside, despite a handful of House lawmakers publicly disdaining continuing resolutions. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) warned she won’t back a CR that "ends funding right before a major holiday," in this case, Thanksgiving. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has long been a critic of CRs, declared that he would oppose the measure without spending cuts. Republicans can only afford two defections in the House if there is full attendance .