House Republicans move toward reopening U.S. government

House Speaker Mike Johnson narrowly cleared a key procedural hurdle to end a three-day partial shutdown of much of the U.S. government.

The vote was 217 to 215, with the House voting on the package and sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk, clearing the way for him to reopen the government, which has been closed since Saturday morning. This vote is now expected to take place on Tuesday.

Johnson kept the House open much longer than expected to complete procedural votes where he could only afford to lose a Republican. More than a handful of Republicans cast their ballots, R-Tenn. Rep. John Rose initially voted against advancing before changing his vote to support it. All Democrats voted no in the procedural vote. Many Republicans wanted to force the Senate to vote on a controversial voter ID measure known as the SAVES Act.

This caused a frantic scramble by the Republican leadership team in the House of Representatives to get holdouts to vote yes and flip Rose. Rose eventually changed his vote, allowing the House to move forward on the bill.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had told Johnson that Democrats would not help Republicans advance the procedure by which the government funding vote would occur, requiring Johnson to work with his own razor-thin majority to fund the government. After a new Democratic lawmaker is sworn in on Monday, Johnson can only afford to lose one Republican vote on any party-line measure.

“We will pass the rule today, that has never been in doubt for me,” Johnson said at a news conference Tuesday morning. “We manage responsibly and get the job done.”

Johnson spent much of Monday trying to resolve rebellions in his party against ending the lockdown. Among them were conservative lawmakers who demanded a vote on the SAVE Act.

The bill would provide full funding to the departments of Defense, Treasury, State, Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Education for the remainder of the fiscal year through September 30. Following the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers, Senate Democrats defunded the Department of Homeland Security and replaced it with a two-week interim period.

A negotiation is currently underway on new immigration enforcement guardrails in the bill to fund DHS.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.