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(Bloomberg) — Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday urged all House Republicans to support a stopgap funding package set for a vote later in the day, arguing that its passage was essential to keep President Donald Trump’s agenda on schedule.
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The spending bill would avert a government shutdown on Saturday and provide funding for the remainder of the federal fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
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Vance made his case to House Republicans in a closed-door meeting at the Capitol, telling them the legislation’s failure would risk delaying action on Trump’s tax-cut plan and other presidential priorities, said Representative Pete Sessions of Texas.
Sessions said no lawmaker in the room openly challenged the vice president, though some House Republicans continue to express opposition or are wavering.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence holdouts in the party would ultimately change their minds. All but one GOP opponent to the party’s budget dropped their opposition after last-minute calls from Trump.
He said there will be no need to negotiate with Democrats.
“We’ll have the votes,” Johnson said Tuesday morning. “We can do it on our own.”
Among those Republicans still not convinced are Florida Representative Kat Cammack, typically an ally of House leaders. Cammack said after the meeting with Vance she first wants to know the party’s plan for overall spending levels next year.
Republicans Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Beth Van Duyne of Texas also said they’re undecided. Georgia’s Rich McCormick said he opposes the stopgap funding measure.
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The speaker will need to flip some of these holdouts in order to pass the bill if all Democrats remain opposed.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky has said he will vote “no.” Trump, in a Truth Social post, threatened to back a primary challenger to Massie over his repeated opposition to legislation the president supports, calling the Kentucky Republican a grandstander “who’s too much trouble, and not worth the fight.”
Hours before the vote, Massie remained steadfast in his opposition.
“He’s attacking me and Canada,” Massie said, referring to Trump’s decision to increase steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada to 50%. “The difference is Canada will eventually cave.”
Ohio’s Warren Davidson, another hardliner, said he was convinced to cast a rare vote for a stopgap after talking to Trump and White House officials. He said he would like to vote “no” to make a point on deficits but agrees the Trump agenda needs unity.
“A lot of us want to be Massie,” he said. “We can only afford one.”
The bill would slightly decrease overall discretionary spending through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. It would boost spending on defense and immigration while cutting spending in other areas.
(Updates with Massie quote)
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