Over 30 House Republicans voted against a bill to avert a partial government shutdown on Friday. Lawmakers were under pressure to reach a consensus on a spending package before the looming deadline. An initial bipartisan deal that would have extended the government funding deadline until March 14 was introduced on Tuesday night but faced criticism from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, leading to its collapse.
A more condensed version of the bill, backed by Trump, was presented on Thursday night but failed to pass. In a last-minute vote on Friday, the House managed to pass a funding bill, with 34 Republicans voting against it and zero Democrats opposing it. One Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, voted present.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., expressed his concerns about giving President Joe Biden $100 billion to use within 30 days, explaining his vote against the bill. Other House members who voted against the bill include Rep. and Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind., Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo, and several others.
The bill's passage came after a series of back-and-forth negotiations and disagreements among lawmakers. The voting pattern highlighted the divide between Republicans and Democrats on the issue of government funding. The bill's rejection by a significant number of House Republicans underscores the challenges in reaching bipartisan agreements on crucial matters.
