GOP-Led House Passes $1.2 Trillion Bill Amid Republican Dissent

Clear Facts

• The GOP-led House passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill on Friday to prevent a partial government shutdown. The bill is now headed to the Democrat-controlled Senate for consideration.
• The 1,012-page “minibus” bill received more votes from Democrats than Republicans, with the final vote tallying 286-134, including 185 Democrats and 101 Republicans in favor.
• Several Republicans expressed their frustration with the late release of the spending bill and the lack of time for review. Some also criticized the bill for funding policies they disagree with.

The House of Representatives, led by the GOP, approved a $1.2 trillion spending bill on Friday to avoid a potential partial government shutdown. The bill, referred to as a “minibus”, is now set to be reviewed by the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.

The bill, spanning 1,012 pages, was passed with a larger number of Democratic votes than Republican ones. The final vote count was 286-134, with 185 Democrats and 101 Republicans voting in favor.

“It’s clear that the Democrats own the speakers gavel,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said shortly before the vote.

On Thursday, Congressional Republicans voiced their criticism of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Democratic leaders for releasing the massive spending bill just before the planned vote on Friday. The full text of the spending package was sent to lawmakers around 2:30am.

“At 2:32 am—when Americans were sleeping—the Swamp released its second half of the omnibus,” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., wrote Thursday. “1,012 pages that spend $1.2 TRILLION of taxpayer dollars on disastrous policies. The House is still expected to vote on this monstrosity TOMORROW MORNING. Washington is beyond broken.”

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., reacting to the late release of the spending bill, said the U. S. “cannot afford this continued reckless spending,” given that the national debt is currently $34.5 trillion.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., drew parallels between the current situation and the time when Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was speaker.

“It takes 27.8 hours for the average reader to read 1,000 pages. I guess we are supposed to just pass it first and then find out what’s in it like Nancy Pelosi says. This comes after months and months of hardly any effort to pass single issue appropriation bills while 3 Continuing Resolutions (continuing Pelosi’s budget) were passed,” Greene wrote.

“Our Republican majority started this Congress with sweeping rule changes to stop this very behavior yet here we are on the verge of passing a second minibus under suspension with no amendments allowed and violating the 72 hour rule,” she added.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, criticized the rushed nature of the bill, saying on Thursday that “no sane person would buy a car under this kind of pressure—with a 1,012-page contract and no meaningful opportunity to review it or make changes.”

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., also expressed concern that members weren’t given 72 hours to review the bill, contrary to internal GOP conference rules. Tiffany criticized the bill for “funding Biden’s border invasion” and the new FBI headquarters in Maryland.

“All this does is continue the failed status quo. I will be voting NO,” Tiffany wrote.

There is growing frustration among conservatives with Johnson’s handling of spending bills in particular. When asked on Friday if she was going to lead the charge for a motion to vacate the chair, Greene said, “We are going to be making decisions on a minute-by-minute basis today and I urge you to watch and see what happens.”

She formally filed the resolution after the spending bill passed.

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