Politics

House Passes Gov’t Funding Bill That Does Nothing To Fix Debt Crisis

Congress on Prayer [Screenshot/C-SPAN]

The House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR) Tuesday without addressing the national debt.

The CR’s passage averted a government shutdown by extending federal government funding at its current levels through Dec. 11, though it did nothing to address the $40 trillion debt and $2 trillion deficit. Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Andy Harris of Maryland, both members of the House Freedom Caucus, signaled they might vote against a separate rule setting the terms for other bills the chamber planned to take up as retaliation against certain CR provisions.

The CR passed in a 370 to 48 vote, with 19 Republicans and 29 Democrats voting against it.

The CR included the hemp ban delay, blocked the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed rewrite of Uniform Guidance for financial assistance and extends funding for agriculture, flood insurance and veterans’ benefits. The package did not include any spending cuts.

Harris said he might vote against the rule over the CR’s delay on banning hemp THC products.

Roy said he would vote against the CR, arguing the package should defund Flock Safety cameras and other automated surveillance technologies, fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“NO ON CR. NO ON RULE THAT DOES NOT ALLOW US TO AMEND AND FIX THE CR: The House of Representatives will be voting for a government funding continuing resolution TODAY that FAILS to deliver on common-sense policies for the American people,” Roy wrote on X.

Roy named several other concerns, including funding for abortions. He threatened to vote against a rule vote on other bills, which could have disrupted the House’s schedule and sent them home early.

“I have similar concerns. Suspension, Hemp, CISA, Planned Parenthood, Surface Transportation (with no kill switch or flock fix), delay of OMB grant rule… to name a few. So Rule is an issue…” Roy said on X Monday.

House leaders brought the CR to the floor under suspension of the rules, a fast-track procedure used to pass non-controversial or broadly supported legislation. If House leadership could not adopt a rule to open debate, lawmakers would likely not remain in town. They just returned from August recess Monday.

Roy sent a letter to House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole and Budget Chair Jodey Arrington Monday urging opposition to the CR, arguing the spending bill did not prevent taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.

“Throughout this Congress, we have worked aggressively through both reconciliation and the appropriations process to advance key conservative priorities, particularly protecting unborn life and ending taxpayer support for the abortion industry. Unfortunately, several of those priorities remain unresolved despite those efforts,” Roy wrote.

The national debt surpassed $40 trillion on Aug. 20 and the deficit reached $2 trillion in the 2026 fiscal year. The 30-year Treasury bond yield reached a 19-year high due to the soaring government debt, prompting the Department of Treasury to double the size of its long-dated Treasury buybacks from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per operation.

The Senate passed the package in an Aug. 8 vote before leaving for August recess.

Lawmakers in both chambers disagreed on whether to delay the hemp ban scheduled for November until Dec. 11. Republican North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd introduced an amendment on Aug. 8 to strip a provision to delay the ban, which did not pass.

The White House requested a delay, arguing the brief delay would allow lawmakers and industry stakeholders to negotiate a reasonable federal regulatory system rather than abruptly shutting down a multi-billion dollar industry.