WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives passed a bill on March 11 to fund the government through Sept. 30.

The measure, known as a continuing resolution, passed in a near party-line vote of 217-213. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the sole Republican to vote against the bill, and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the lone Democrat who voted for it.

It now goes to the Senate, where it must receive the support of at least 60 senators to pass a procedural hurdle and advance to a final vote—meaning that eight Senate Democrats would need to vote for the measure.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) criticized Democrats for voting against the bill.

“In a shameful display of coordinated political theater, Democrats are willing to run out the clock on funding the government in a failed attempt to block the America First agenda,” the speaker said in a statement after the vote.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters following the bill’s passage that the measure “will hurt everyday Americans,” citing its cuts to non-discretionary spending.

Jeffries added that House Democrats “stand ready, willing and able to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people in terms of their economic well being, health and safety.”

Golden, the only Democrat to vote for the bill, said that while the legislation wasn’t perfect, it was better than a government shutdown.

“Even a brief shutdown would introduce even more chaos and uncertainty at a time when our country can ill-afford it,” he wrote on X.

It is uncertain if the bill has enough Democratic support in the upper chamber. If the measure is not passed by March 14, the federal government will go into shutdown.

The 6-month government funding bill, backed by President Donald Trump, would boost defense funding by about $6 billion compared to last year, while nondefense spending would drop by $13 billion. It also provides additional funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement requested by the Trump administration.

Overall, the legislation provides $7 billion in savings over current funding levels, according to GOP aides.

The bill also includes a measure to block congressional Democrats from introducing resolutions to block Trump’s new tariffs on Mexico and Canada.

On Tuesday morning, the House GOP caucus met with Vice President JD Vance, who called for Republicans to vote yes on the bill to allow Republicans to focus on passing Trump’s legislative agenda and to give the administration time to secure the border, said House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) at a press conference following the meeting.

Trump earlier called on Republicans to support the bill “so we can continue to put the country’s ‘financial house’ in order.”

House Republicans have typically been against continuing resolutions with reasons ranging from what they describe as fiscal irresponsibility to inadequate funding for the military.

Republicans at the Tuesday press conference emphasized that passage of the bill would allow the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to continue its effort to find waste, fraud, and abuse.

Massie, the only Republican to vote against the measure, said earlier that the bill would “fund the waste, fraud, and abuse” highlighted by DOGE. Instead, he wants Congress to individually pass the 12 appropriations bills.

In response, Trump said on March 10 that he will support a primary challenger against Massie.

Massie was not deterred by the threat.

“POTUS is spending his day attacking me and Canada,” he wrote on social media platform X on Tuesday, referring to Trump’s tariff threats on Canada.

“The difference is Canada will eventually cave.”

Next Steps

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats have been mum on how their conference will go about the bill.

“We’re going to wait to see what the House does first,” Schumer told reporters following a lengthy weekly conference luncheon on Tuesday.

This comes as Democrats have been grappling with how to counter Trump’s agenda, particularly the DOGE-related cuts to government spending. Some lawmakers are leery about voting to shut down the government, particularly given the possible electoral blowback.

Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with the Democrats, said that Senate Democrats were also grappling with a dilemma that voting for a shutdown may backfire by making it easier for the Trump administration to fire more federal workers.

King said whether to vote for the package was a “very difficult decision”

“This is a classic no-win situation,” he told reporters.

At least one Senate Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), has voiced support for the funding bill.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told reporters on Tuesday the measure consists of Trump and the GOP’s priorities, adding that Republicans did not look to compromise with Democrats.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said that Democrats should take the blame if they block the bill in the Senate. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) echoed this sentiment, saying “it would be foolish for my Democrat colleagues to shut down government.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized the continuing resolution as a budget “that simply lets Donald Trump continue to shut down more and more and more of government. That is a problem.”

Warren told reporters Senate Democrats will have a meeting on Wednesday to discuss next steps.