House passes $1.2T spending bill to avert shutdown, measure heads to Senate before midnight deadline

The GOP-led House on Friday morning passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown by midnight and the measure now heads to the Democrat-led Senate for consideration.

The 1,012 page so-called "minibus" passed in the House with more votes from Democrats than Republicans. The final vote was 286-134 with 185 Democrats and 101 Republicans voting in favor of the measure.

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

Congressional Republicans on Thursday were vocal with their criticism of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Democratic leaders for releasing the massive spending bill shortly before the planned vote on Friday. 

The full text of 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 on X. "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."

Reacting to the late release of the spending bill, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., 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., compared the situation to 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 on X. 

"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, said 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., emphasized that members weren’t given 72 hours to review the bill, contrary to internal GOP conference rules.

Tiffany also said the bill "funds 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 on X.

There is growing frustration among conservatives with Johnson’s handling of spending bills in particular. 

Green was asked on Friday if she was going to lead the charge for a motion to vacate the chair.

“We are going to be making decisions on a minute-by-minute basis today and I urge you to watch and see what happens,” Green said.

She formally filed the resolution after the spending bill passed.