In Washington, as House members concluded their voting session for the week and left the city, a significant point of contention lingered. The leading Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Representative Rosa DeLauro, expressed her dissatisfaction with the Republicans’ lack of response to her recent proposal for a comprehensive spending bill, which had been on the table for five days without a reply.
On the other side, her Republican counterpart, Representative Tom Cole, showed little regard for the Democratic attempts to ensure that funds approved by Congress would be allocated by President Donald Trump’s administration as lawmakers intended. “A Republican Senate and a Republican House are not going to limit what a president can do, particularly when he has to sign the bill,” Cole stated.
These exchanges highlight the ongoing divisions as the country heads towards a crucial deadline on March 14 to prevent a partial federal government shutdown. Such deadlines have become increasingly common in recent years, with lawmakers often reaching agreements or at least settling on temporary funding extensions just in the nick of time.
However, with the Republicans controlling the White House and Trump opting to bypass Congress on previous funding matters, negotiations have become more contentious, casting doubt on whether lawmakers will once again avert a shutdown.
The core of the current negotiations was established nearly two years ago when the then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and then-President Joe Biden crafted a two-year budget agreement. This deal aimed to keep non-defense spending unchanged for 2024 while allowing for a slight increase in defense spending. It also set provisions for a 1% increase for both categories in 2025. Democrats wish to abide by this agreement, which proposes defense spending at approximately $895.2 billion and non-defense spending at about $780.4 billion. However, Republicans are seeking to reduce spending on non-defense programs. Cole argues that Republicans are not obligated to adhere to a deal made by two individuals who are no longer in office.
The scale of the disagreement in terms of overall spending remains somewhat unclear, though Senator Patty Murray, the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, indicated the differences are not insurmountable. “We are close on topline spending, but we need to know Republicans are willing to work with us to protect Congress’ power of the purse — and I welcome any and all ideas they may have on how we can work together to do just that,” Murray said.
Under Trump’s administration, there was an initial push to pause grants and loans possibly amounting to trillions of dollars while a comprehensive review of federal programs was undertaken. Although a subsequent memorandum aimed to lift this pause, a federal judge has since issued a preliminary injunction to block the pause, citing the potential jeopardy to vital programs for various vulnerable groups.
Furthermore, Trump has granted authority to Elon Musk to spearhead a dramatic reduction in federal employees and potentially dismantle entire agencies established by Congress. Democrats have sought to include clauses in the spending bill ensuring the administration adheres to Congress’s intentions.
Republicans have largely rebuffed these Democratic conditions, with House Speaker Mike Johnson arguing that they seek to excessively limit presidential authority. “Democrats are placing completely unreasonable conditions on the negotiations. They want us to limit the scope of executive authority. They want us to tie the hands of the president,” Johnson remarked.
The fiscal year began in October, which means lawmakers are already five months behind on reaching a budget agreement. In his commentary on Truth Social, Trump placed the blame on Biden, claiming “he left us a total MESS.” “The Budget from last YEAR is still not done. We are working very hard with the House and Senate to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill (“CR”) to the end of September. Let’s get it done!” Trump posted.
Yet, it was congressional Republicans who chose in December to postpone budget negotiations, anticipating that Trump would be in the White House. In December, Johnson suggested a short-term extension so the Republican majority could later imprint its policies on the spending decisions in March.
Should an agreement fall through, the first backup is a continuing resolution, a temporary measure that generally sustains federal agency funding at current levels. “It looks as though it is becoming inevitable at this point,” Johnson commented, pointing fingers at Democrats.
This resolution may be a tough sell for defense advocates for whom the existing Pentagon budget is insufficient. Simultaneously, Democrats express concern that such a measure would fail to match the growing needs caused by inflation, thereby exacerbating challenges in housing programs, child care, and other critical services.
Murray and DeLauro issued a joint statement urging Republicans to return to negotiations, warning that halting bipartisan talks elevates the risk of a shutdown. They also cautioned that the Republicans’ preferred continuing resolution would grant Trump additional latitude to allocate funds at his discretion.
Despite Elon Musk’s hints at a government shutdown, Democrats have been driving efforts to pass legislation that ensures congressional control over federal funding allocations, particularly concerning schools and hospitals, rather than handing that influence to Trump or Musk.
The White House has communicated its preferences to Congress for anomalies to be included in the continuing resolution, including a proposed $1.6 billion increase in pay for junior enlisted service members and $485 million for additional immigrant detention facilities and related operations.
Negotiations on these additional requests and changes are likely, adding another layer of complexity to the budget approval process. Traditionally, passing spending bills has required bipartisan support, but with Republicans having a razor-thin margin, respective cooperation will be essential. Should negotiations entirely stall, government agencies will cease operations at midnight on March 14.
Both parties have begun positioning themselves to attribute blame should a shutdown occur, with historical parallels rooted in Trump’s experience with the 35-day government shutdown under his administration, only ending when airport delays and the lack of federal workers’ paychecks introduced a new urgency to negotiations.
