House passes last-minute measure to avert government shutdown

In an unexpected turn of events, the United States House of Representatives successfully passed a stopgap bill this afternoon funding the government for the next 47 days, likely averting a government shutdown.

The bill (known as a continuing resolution, or CR) passed with the support of nearly every House Democrat and a little over half of the House Republican caucus; it will now go on to the Senate, where it will have to be approved before midnight tonight. Eleven of New Jersey’s 12 House members voted for the bill, with the only holdout being Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), who has taken an increasingly conservative tack in recent votes.

Though the bill was written by House Republican leadership, Democrats are hailing the vote as a major win that will keep the government running and give Congress more time to hash out a longer-term funding deal.

“I just left the floor of the House of Representatives where Democrats led to victory, keeping the United States of America’s federal government running for the American people,” Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) said in a video posted to Twitter immediately after the vote. “All the way up to the end, Republicans were literally wanting to shut it down, and it took the majority of Democrats to pass this vote.”

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), meanwhile, framed the vote as a bipartisan achievement that members of both parties can celebrate.

“From the beginning of this debate I did not support shutting down the government, and I am encouraged that Republicans and Democrats worked together to get this done,” Kean said in a statement. “Today we came together to keep government open, pay our troops, and fully fund disaster relief so places like Warren County will have the vital resources they need. These priorities are not political bargaining chips, and with today’s achievement I will continue to fight for fiscal responsibility.”

Just yesterday, House Republican leaders tried to pass a more conservative stopgap bill that would have made substantial spending cuts, but it failed after being poorly received both by the Democratic caucus and by a cohort of right-wing Republicans. After that vote, and up through this morning, it looked like the government was near-certain to shut down.

But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy unexpectedly reversed course today and proposed what is known as a “clean” CR, which keeps funding levels at FY2023 levels until November 17. That earned the outrage of the more conservative wing of McCarthy’s party – and may result in an attempt to oust him – but for now, it means that the government can stay open.

The bill includes funding for disaster relief, a key priority of the White House, and doesn’t include border security policies that Democrats opposed. Also not included in the bill is aid for Ukraine, despite it having apparent support from a bipartisan majority of House Democrats and Republicans.

“The support for Ukraine stripped out by Republican extremists must be restored,” Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) said in a typically bombastic statement. “America must support democracy in Europe despite the Trump fascist wing of the Republican caucus. I am sick that so many in Congress are now in clear cahoots with Putin.”

This story was updated at 6:19 p.m. with a correction: the