US government shutdown averted: House passes emergency funding bill to keep government running – Just hours before deadline

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced, “We do not want a government shutdown.

The House of Representatives approved a government funding bill Friday night by a vote of 366-34 aimed at preventing a partial shutdown. The bill’s passage came after intense negotiations and objections from President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the incoming head of the Department of Government Efficiency, who criticized the original version as overly “bloated.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced, “We don’t want one government shutdownand we will meet our obligations to our farmers who need help, to disaster victims across the country, and to making sure that the military and essential services and everyone who depends on the federal government for a paycheck are paid during the holidays.”

Details of the 118-page bill
The legislation, trimmed from 1,547 to 118 pages, funds the government at current levels through March 14, 2025. It includes $100 billion in disaster relief for hurricane-stricken states and farmers, extends farm aid for one year and allocates $25 million to the US Marshals Service and Supreme Court security. A peculiar $3 million provision for the inspection of molasses in American ports also survived.
Republicans overwhelmingly supported the measure, with only 34 voting against. No Democrats opposed the final version, and one voted “present.” This marks a sharp contrast to Thursday night, when 38 GOP members rejected a similar bill.
The highlights of the negotiation
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) played a key role in breaking the impasse. Jeffries supported the final version and praised the decision to reject Trump’s proposal to abolish the federal debt ceiling, which he argued would have triggered recurring crises.
Musk, who initially pushed Republicans to reject the earlier version, approved the revised package. “The speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances. It went from a note that weighed pounds to a note that weighed ounces. The ball should now be in the Democrats’ court,” he tweeted.
Scrapped provisions
The revised bill removed controversial proposals, including a 4% pay raise for Congress, a provision limiting dispensary managers and funding to renovate Robert F. Kennedy Stadium. It also introduced measures against AI-generated pornography without consent.
Political tensions and fallout
Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) criticized Speaker Johnson’s decision to work with Democrats, claiming, “Johnson reversed his decision after the meeting when he talked to (Hakeem Jeffries) and realized he could get the Democratic votes to pass all legislation as one bill.”
Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) had previously tried to unseat Johnson as speaker. Musk also fueled the tensions, asking X, “So is this a Republican bill or a Democratic bill?”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) fired back: “How about the House add campaign finance reform to CR so Republicans and Democrats alike can stop being so afraid of what a billionaire man-child thinks before they vote on something around here.”
Looking ahead
While the House avoided a shutdown, uncertainty looms as the Senate faces time limits to consider the bill. A senior Democratic aide noted Johnson’s challenges: “He was juggling all that with wanting to keep the hammer while being hit by asteroids launched by Elon Musk.”