Republicans, who control the House of Representatives (lower house) in the US Congress, have introduced a bill with a six-month plan to ensure funding for federal agencies through September 30 and prevent their work from being suspended after March 14, the Associated Press reported, quoted by NOVA.
The 99-page bill envisages an increase in defense spending by about $6 billion, while reducing spending on non-armed forces by about $13 billion, said House Republican aides.
This approach is likely to be unpopular with most Democrats, who have long insisted that defense spending and other activities move in the same direction, the AP noted. Congress must act by midnight on Friday, March 14, to avoid a partial government shutdown.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to bring the bill to a vote on Tuesday despite a lack of support from Democrats, whose partnership is often key when it comes to keeping the government running. Crucially, the plan has the support of President Donald Trump, as it could clear the way for Republicans, who control both houses of Congress, to focus on extending the 2017 tax cuts Trump enacted during his first term, Reuters noted.
The president said tonight that the House and Senate had produced a "very good funding bill" and urged Republicans to vote on it next week, while warning that Democrats would "do anything" to shut down the government.
However, the recently proposed cuts by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency are not included in this latest temporary funding bill.
Republican and Democratic negotiators have been trying to come together in recent weeks to push through the 12 bills needed to government spending for fiscal year 2025, but the Trump administration's federal workforce cuts and continued threats to withhold spending allocated by Congress have hindered a deal.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said yesterday that his Democratic caucus would not support a Republican party-line funding plan. "I strongly oppose this year-round continuing resolution, which (represents) a power grab by the White House and further allows billionaire Elon Musk and President Trump to steal from the American people," Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat in the House, said in a statement after the funding bill was released.