Vice President JD Vance visited the Capitol on Tuesday at the last minute to persuade House Republicans of the urgent need for a continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown. With the deadline rapidly approaching, Vance aimed to rally support among GOP members, highlighting the importance of obtaining funding to sustain essential government operations while addressing ongoing budget disputes.
In the 11th hour, Vance joined the weekly House Republican Conference meeting in the U.S. Capitol basement to persuade them to pass their "clean" CR to keep the government funded through the end of this fiscal year at last year's levels.
Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the spending bill Tuesday afternoon.
Two lawmakers who attended the private meeting revealed that Vance included discussions on the Department of Efficiency (DOGE) and the border as key points in his plea to Republicans holding out its passing.
“Vance basically said this is what we need to keep DOGE and border operations going," one lawmaker said. "And we will have much more flexibility for DOGE cuts once we've had more time to identify and quantify them.”
The vice president stressed the critical need to avoid a government shutdown. To prevent a partial shutdown, both the House and Senate must pass a federal funding bill and deliver it to President Donald Trump’s desk by Friday.
Despite House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) being confident there would be enough votes to pass the CR, many Democrats have said they would vote against it.
“We'll have the votes; we're going to pass the CR," Johnson said. "We can do it on our own. But what I am saying Democrats ought to do the responsible thing, follow their own advice in every previous scenario and keep the government open. It's their choice. I wish it could be a unanimous vote that the House chamber did that. That would be a great thing for America. But they're not going to do that… because they're on this — they're lost in the wilderness.”
With 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats, the Republicans can afford to lose only one vote, assuming full attendance.
However, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already said he would oppose the CR. Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) also said he favored voting against it.