Deadline Looms as Trump and Johnson Pitch Stopgap Bill to Avoid Shutdown
With the clock ticking towards a potential government shutdown by the end of next week, President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson are urging House Republicans to back a stopgap bill that would keep federal spending at current levels through the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The proposed Continuing Resolution (CR) represents a strategic retreat for Republicans, as it would maintain the spending levels set by former President Biden and sidestep the sharp cuts being pushed by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. Despite this, Trump and Johnson are framing the move as a pragmatic way to sidestep a harmful and divisive shutdown battle while granting Trump the flexibility to unilaterally slash spending, bypassing congressional oversight.
Trump took to social media to pitch the plan to skeptical conservatives, calling it a "GREAT" deal that would allow Republicans to regroup and focus on their broader agenda. He emphasized that the bill would effectively freeze spending for the remainder of the year while setting the stage for deeper cuts and tax reductions through the reconciliation process. However, the proposal’s success is far from certain. With a shutdown deadline of midnight on March 14, Trump is racing to win over far-right House members who have traditionally opposed stopgap measures, which they see as a dodge of Congress’s spending responsibilities. In a White House meeting with hardline opponents on Tuesday, Trump made a personal appeal for their support, and while some expressed tentative openness, others remain unconvinced.
A Controversial Plan: Freezing Spending and Ceding Power to the Executive
The CR proposal has sparked fierce opposition from appropriators in both parties, who argue that it shortchanges vital programs and shifts too much power to the executive branch. Under the plan, federal agencies would operate on autopilot, with no new funding increases or targeted cuts. For instance, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, blasted the idea, saying it would lock in outdated Biden-era spending priorities and deny much-needed increases to critical departments like the Department of Defense. “Why would we want to lock in the priorities of the Biden budget?” Collins asked, calling the CR a flawed approach that sidesteps Congress’s constitutional duty to shape federal spending.
Democrats are equally critical, with Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, warning that the CR would effectively hand over Congress’s spending authority to Trump and Elon Musk. “If you are not setting the funding levels, then someone else is,” DeLauro said, criticizing Republicans for abandoning their oversight role. The CR’s supporters argue that it is a necessary compromise to avoid the chaos of a shutdown, but critics insist that it undermines the carefully crafted spending bills that appropriators have spent months negotiating.
Conservative Hardliners Weigh Their Options
The fate of the CR largely depends on whether Trump can rally the support of his party’s far-right flank. On Wednesday, after meeting with Trump at the White House, Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee said he was still undecided about backing the measure, adding that his support would hinge on whether the bill was “clean” and free of extraneous policy riders. Meanwhile, Representative Chip Roy of Texas, a vocal opponent of stopgap measures, expressed tentative support, saying he trusted Trump to use his executive authority to “handle a lot of bad policies” through impoundment and other unilateral actions. “Chasing some big appropriations battle next week,” Roy said, “I don’t see that working out as well as just freezing spending.”
Despite these signs of wavering opposition, many conservatives remain uneasy about backing a CR, which they view as a concession to the status quo. Historically, House Republicans have rejected stopgap bills because they perpetuate bloated spending and fail to prioritize specific cuts. However, Trump’s aggressive moves to sidestep Congress and unilaterally defund programs have won some converts, with some lawmakers now viewing the CR as a pragmatic way to avoid a shutdown while giving Trump latitude to push through his spending agenda.
A Shutdown Looms: The High Stakes of congressional Inaction
As the shutdown deadline draws closer, the consequences of failure are stark. A lapse in federal funding would force hundreds of thousands of government employees, including Border Patrol agents, air traffic controllers, and TSA personnel, to work without pay. Senator Collins, while critical of the CR, called a shutdown “the worst of all worlds” and “the ultimate failure to govern.” She emphasized that maintaining current funding levels, even through a stopgap measure, is preferable to allowing the government to grind to a halt. However, appropriators in both chambers remain locked in talks over a longer-term spending deal, but time is running out. With just days left to avoid a shutdown, Republicans must decide whether to rally behind Trump’s CR or take a risky gamble on a last-ditch appropriations agreement.
The Battle for Fiscal Control: Congress vs. the Executive
At the heart of the CR debate is a broader struggle over who controls the federal purse strings. By embracing a stopgap measure, Republicans are effectively ceding their spending authority to the executive branch, a move that has long been anathema to conservatives who champion congressional oversight. Critics like Representative DeLauro warn that the CR would hand Trump and Musk the keys to the federal budget, allowing them to allocate funds as they see fit without input from Congress. This shift in power could have far-reaching consequences, particularly given the administration’s appetite for defunding programs authorized by Congress.
Moreover, the CR’s passage would effectively sideline the 12 stand-alone spending bills that appropriators have spent months crafting. These bills are not just about funding levels; they also contain thousands of earmarks—pet projects championed by lawmakers from both parties. If the CR is approved, these earmarks would disappear, along with the painstaking work that went into negotiating them. While the White House and Republican leaders maintain that the CR is a temporary necessity, critics see it as a surrender of Congress’s constitutional role in shaping federal spending.
The Road Ahead: Can Republicans Unite Behind the Stopgap Bill?
As the shutdown deadline looms, the CR’s fate remains uncertain. While some hardline conservatives are softening their opposition in light of Trump’s assurances, others remain firmly opposed to any measure that continues current spending levels. Democrats, meanwhile, are unified in their opposition, with leaders urging their caucus to reject the CR and demand a more balanced approach. Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader, warned that if Republicans proceed with the CR, they will be going it alone—without Democratic support.
Ultimately, the CR debate is a microcosm of the broader challenges facing Washington: divided government, ideological divides, and the enduring tension between executive and legislative authority. Whether Republicans can unite behind the stopgap bill—and whether it can survive the scrutiny of appropriators and conservatives—will determine not only the fate of federal funding but also the balance of power in Washington. As the clock ticks down to the shutdown deadline, one thing is clear: the stakes have never been higher.
