On Wednesday, the United States House of Representatives is set to vote on the temporary funding bill passed by the Senate. If the bill is approved, it will be sent to President Trump. The White House expressed the hope that Trump could sign the bill that evening in order to reopen the government.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated during a press briefing on Wednesday that the bill being voted on by the House today will reopen the federal government, which is something that President Trump and Republicans have supported from the outset.
“Our military, air traffic controllers, and federal employees will resume receiving their normal pay. Families in need will regain access to food assistance, and the people’s government will soon be back in operation,” Leavitt said. “President Trump looks forward to signing this appropriation resolution to ultimately end this destructive government shutdown caused by the Democrats, and we hope to sign it later tonight.”
Leavitt also mentioned that the White House is eager for the government shutdown to come to an end.
According to a notice issued by House Majority Leader Tom Emmer, the House will hold a procedural vote on the temporary funding bill passed by the Senate at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, with a final vote expected around 7 p.m.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Wednesday morning that Republicans were “very optimistic” about the outcome of the funding bill vote.
“I just want to say, we are very optimistic about the vote tonight, we believe the bill will pass,” he said.
Republican Representative Victoria Spartz stated on Wednesday that she would vote in support of the funding agreement to reopen the government.
“We need to reopen the government, pay our military, and provide necessary public services,” Spartz wrote on the social media platform X.
She had previously voted against the House version of the temporary funding bill in September.
Democrats are expected to vote against the bill because the Senate version of the temporary funding bill does not include an extension of the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, also known as Obamacare.
House Minority Leader and Democratic member Hakeem Jeffries spoke outside the Capitol Building on Wednesday and criticized Republicans on the issue of Obamacare. He reiterated that the Democratic caucus strongly opposes the funding plan passed by the Senate. The House Democratic leadership has been encouraging members to vote against the Senate version.