House Reluctantly Votes to Keep Government Open, But Senate Struggles on Path Forward
Federal government offices have been closed for a couple of days this week because of snow as a larger fiscal storm is brewing that could affect the whole nation. On Friday, January 30th, funding is set to run out for the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Labor Health and Human Services (LHHS), Transportation, Defense, Education, and House and Urban Development (HUD). The House has done its part by passing all 12 appropriations bills, but the pressure to keep the government open this time led some Republicans to cave on key issues.
After the longest federal government shutdown in history last October, the House and Senate passed a continuing resolution that included year-long funding for Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch. The rest of the departments were only funded until the end of January. Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers voted to move the $64.4 billion appropriations package in hopes of avoiding another shutdown on their watch.
The House-passed bill included many troubling earmarks from Senators. In the LHHS portion, $10 million will go toward hospitals that perform gender transition surgeries and late-term abortions. Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) allocated $2 million for Rady Children’s Hospital which continues to provide gender mutilation procedures on minors. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) included $3 million for Hennepin Healthcare System which runs a sexual health care clinic for adolescents where they can receive hormone blockers and referrals for more invasive procedures. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) secured $1.6 million for the Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, which provides hormone treatments for gender dysphoric patients of all ages.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wielded his power by including his own priorities. He inserted half a million dollars to the New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) organization. NICE offers free legal counsel for immigrants to find pathways to citizenship. He also allocated $1 million toward the Met Opera to make their elevators more accessible for individuals with disabilities despite their $330 million annual budget. They recently displayed “a wicked ICE agent abusing a tatted-up OnlyFans girl on a grey and dirty stage supposed to resemble the US southern border” as a warped version of the French play Carmen.
Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) offered an amendment to the appropriations package in the House to strip out these awful earmarks. An unbelievable 76 Republicans voted with Democrats to keep them in. This is a political play rather than one based in principle. At times, politicians will vote for a large bill that contains objectionable items because the bill contains many necessary, or “must-pass” provisions. However, in this case, each of these earmarks is in flagrant opposition to the agenda that President Trump and Republicans have promised to enact. Plus, Democrats are still threatening to shut down the government over their hostility toward immigration enforcement. It does not seem the trade-off was worth it this time.
Another sneaky funding initiative was found in the Transportation portion of the package. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) sounded the alarm on funding that would continue the creation and implementation of the Biden-era automobile “kill switch.” This is a device that passively monitors a driver’s behavior and disables the vehicle if it thinks a driver is impaired, and will have to be a feature in new cars beginning in 2027. One practical concern is that the technology could trigger stopping a car’s motor from simply dodging something on the road. This could put a driver in more danger. There are, of course, larger issues of privacy and the presumption of innocence. Sadly, 57 Republicans voted with Democrats to defeat Rep. Massie’s efforts to strip the funding out.
Despite these problems, the bill does contain many positive provisions. The Hyde amendment that prohibits taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions was retained. The bill also fully funds border security, ICE efforts, and our military services. Only 24 Republicans voted against the appropriations package with a final vote of 341-88.
House members went home after passing the bill, leaving it up to the Senate to pass it as is in order to keep the government open. Senate Democrats are using the recent deaths of ICE protestors to demand changes to the DHS appropriations bill. These include a requirement to obtain warrants for immigration arrests, mandating that federal agents identify themselves, end roving ICE patrols, require worn body cameras, end arrest quotas, and more. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said he would vote for the DHS bill if the President fired his deputy chief of staff and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller. Clearly, that offer is dead on arrival.
The House Freedom Caucus has already issued a statement saying they will not pass an appropriations bill that comes back to them from the Senate without funding for DHS. They have their own demands if this occurs. Members of the caucus will support an end to the Senate’s filibuster, moving an emergency reconciliation bill, and allowing the Trump administration to transfer funds to accomplish immigration enforcement. The longer that Democrats obstruct, the more appealing repealing the filibuster has become. Eagle Forum reported on how getting rid of the filibuster could have serious repercussions the next time Democrats get control of the Senate.
Regardless of the outcome, this highlights the need for another reconciliation package. The One Big, Beautiful Bill was a success — one that we will see the fruits of when filing our taxes. Through the reconciliation process, we can right some of the wrongs that we see in the appropriations process. Eagle Forum is participating in conversations with lawmakers to see this come to fruition. In the meantime, make sure you are signed up for our emails in order to stay up to date on the latest issues and votes.
