On November 10th, the United States Senate passed a temporary funding bill aimed at reopening the government and sent it to the House of Representatives. The House is expected to vote on Wednesday, November 12th afternoon, and if approved and signed by President Trump, the U.S. government will reopen this week.
President Trump predicted on Tuesday, November 11th that the House would pass the funding bill to restart the government.
During a Veterans Day speech on Tuesday, President Trump congratulated Senate Majority Leader John Thune on the passage of the temporary funding bill in the Senate, saying, “This is a very big victory for everyone.”
“We are reopening our country,” he added, “It should never have been closed in the first place.”
President Trump expressed optimism about the House vote during a phone interview with ESPN reporter Pat McAfee.
“The House will be voting, and I think their vote will bring positive results. I believe most people want to see the government reopen. Only those who hate our country would not want the government to restart.”
During the government shutdown, House Speaker Mike Johnson allowed the House to adjourn for several weeks. Members of the House received notice on Monday evening to return to Congress and were informed that the House would hold a full vote as early as 4 pm on Wednesday Eastern Time. This will be the first House session since September 19th.
The House Rules Committee has announced a meeting on Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm Eastern Time to consider the temporary funding bill passed by the Senate. Only if the Rules Committee approves the bill can Republican leadership move it forward for a full House vote. The Committee also needs to pass a rule to govern House debate.
The temporary funding bill will provide funding for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Congress through September 30, 2026, while funding for other government departments will be extended until January 30, 2026.
The House is expected to convene at 12 pm on Wednesday, with Speaker Johnson telling Republicans that his top priority is to hold a swearing-in ceremony for newly elected Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva.
After Grijalva is sworn in, Republicans will still hold a narrow majority in the House. There will be 219 Republicans and 214 Democrats. If all members are present to vote, Republicans will need at least 217 affirmative votes to pass the temporary funding bill submitted by the Senate. In other words, without Democratic support, they can only afford to lose two Republican votes to reopen the government.
When the House passed its version of the temporary spending bill in September, the vote was 217-212, with two Republicans voting against – Tom Massie and Victoria Spartz. Only one Democratic member, Jared Golden, voted in favor.