With the clock ticking toward an October 1 deadline, Congress finds itself once again embroiled in a high-stakes standoff over government funding. The drama unfolding in Washington is as much about political maneuvering as it is about dollars and cents, with both parties digging in their heels and the specter of a government shutdown looming ever larger.
On September 15 and 16, 2025, several House Republicans—Thomas Massie (Ky.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), and Victoria Spartz (Ind.)—signaled their intent to vote against their own party’s proposed continuing resolution (CR), a short-term measure to keep the government running at current funding levels while lawmakers hammer out a more comprehensive plan. According to Nexstar Media Inc., this CR is being touted as a mostly “clean” patch, but it’s anything but that in the eyes of Democrats and some hardline conservatives.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) finds himself in a precarious position. With every member present, he can afford to lose only two Republican votes if the party hopes to pass legislation without Democratic support. Johnson’s plan, as reported by The Hill, also includes a push for extra funds to bolster lawmakers’ security following the shocking assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk—a development that has rattled nerves across Capitol Hill. “We don’t have [text] yet because we’re trying to resolve this,” Johnson told reporters, referencing ongoing negotiations over a White House request for $58 million to enhance security for government officials. “It is kind of a late-breaking development, and that $58 million is for the executive and judicial branches. We have to protect our judges and those who serve in those two branches.”
While Johnson and other Republican leaders hope to recreate the success of their March funding bill—which passed the House without a single Democratic vote, save for Massie’s lone dissent—this time the path forward is less clear. The March victory was a rare instance of GOP unity, but as Politico notes, House conservatives have become notorious for threatening to buck leadership, only to reverse course under pressure from the party’s top brass or Donald Trump himself.
This time, however, the internal divisions are sharper. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, has been vocal in her opposition to the CR, arguing that it merely perpetuates policies enacted under President Joe Biden. “I can’t wait to see how voting for the CR becomes a Trump loyalty test,” Greene wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “When in all actual reality, it’s a disloyalty to him by passing a Biden policy laden omnibus.” She further argued, “By continuing to pass CR’s, those that demand it and support it, are making Trump a temporary president with temporary policies.” Her stance is echoed by other conservatives who worry that a short-term CR sets the stage for a year-end omnibus funding package that would maintain spending levels set during the Biden administration.
Yet, in a twist that has complicated the hardliners’ narrative, Donald Trump himself has urged Republicans to support the funding bill—at least for now. “In times like these, Republicans have to stick TOGETHER to fight back against the Radical Left Democrat demands,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, pushing for party unity and blaming Democrats for any potential shutdown. “Democrats want the Government to shut down. Republicans want the Government to OPEN,” he declared, seeking to pin responsibility for any impasse on the opposition.
House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) has also weighed in, suggesting that the proposed November funding deadline is a “red line” for some members. When asked whether Trump’s endorsement was enough to secure his vote, Harris responded, “I get instructions from my 750,000 people in my district.” His hesitancy underscores the challenge facing House leadership: even with Trump’s backing, not all conservatives are ready to fall in line.
Across the aisle, Democrats are holding firm on their own priorities, particularly regarding health care. They have demanded that any stopgap measure address the looming expiration of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits and roll back Medicaid changes included in Trump’s recent tax and spending bill. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) dismissed the Republican CR as a “dirty” spending bill because of its impact on health care, writing on X, “Partisan legislation that continues the unprecedented Republican assault on healthcare is not a clean spending bill. It’s a dirty one.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has insisted that Republicans must engage in bipartisan negotiations if they want Democratic votes. “We’re totally united. The Republicans have to come to meet with us in a true bipartisan negotiation to satisfy the American people’s needs on health care. Or they won’t get our votes,” Schumer said, as reported by The Associated Press. He further argued on the Senate floor, “Our position remains this: We want to keep the government open by engaging in bipartisan negotiations where we can address some of the grave harm Donald Trump has caused to our health care system and help Americans with the cost of living. We haven’t seen that to date.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has acknowledged the widespread support among Republicans for increased security funding, noting that President Trump has specifically requested it. “It could be. We’ll see,” Thune said of the possibility of including the funds in the CR. “We’ve got a lot of members who are interested in it.” Still, Thune has maintained that Democratic demands for ACA subsidies are a nonstarter in a short-term funding bill that would extend into November.
As the days slip away, the risk of a government shutdown grows. Democrats accuse Republicans of refusing to negotiate in good faith and politicizing the funding process, while Republicans argue that their proposal is “by and large clean” and should be acceptable to the other side. But beneath the surface, both parties are calculating the political fallout of a shutdown and jockeying to avoid blame in the eyes of voters.
Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has signaled a willingness to vote to keep the government open, chiding members of his own party for making demands that could derail a deal. Yet, with the margin for error so slim, every defection matters—and the outcome remains uncertain.
As lawmakers prepare to leave Washington for Rosh Hashanah, the sense of urgency is palpable. The fate of government funding, health care provisions, and even congressional security hangs in the balance, with no clear resolution in sight. The coming days will reveal whether the familiar pattern of brinkmanship and last-minute compromise holds—or if this time, the government will indeed grind to a halt.