On Tuesday, the House pushed forward a six month spending bill to the Senate. It barely passed along party lines and its passage by the Senate was in question. The Republican Party needed at least seven Democratic votes in order for it to reach President Trump’s desk.
The Democrats found themselves in a precarious position. On one hand, they didn't want to fund Trump's initiatives like DOGE. On the other hand, they didn't want to be responsible for a government shutdown where many federal workers miss out on their due pay.
Today, the Senate voted to pass the funding bill with a vote of 54-46. Senate Democrats decided to go along with the bill in order to avoid the government shutdown.
The funding bill is also known as H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025. This was not the only work done by the House this week. On Monday they passed three different security bills.
The first was H.R. 495, also known as the Subterranean Border Defense Act. This bill requires recurrent reporting from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the implementation of their strategic plan to counter illicit cross-border tunnel operations. Currently, the CPB only reports once and up to a year after progress is made.
The second was H.R. 901, also known as the Research Security and Accountability in DHS Act. This bill requires the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security to develop a department-wide policy. This policy would safeguard research and development from unauthorized access or disclosures of sensitive information in related acquisitions.
The third was H.R. 993 also known as the Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act. This bill requires the CBP and the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security to develop a plan to identify, integrate, and deploy emerging and innovative technologies. This new technology would improve border security operations.
For more information on the funding bill, click here.
For more information on House activity, click here.
