House to vote on stopgap funding bill as lawmakers scramble to avoid government shutdown
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
House speaker Mike Johnson will launch a floor vote to pass the stopgap funding bill designed to keep the federal government fully funded through early December, removing the possibility of a shutdown before the midterm elections.
“The first thing is we’ve got to make sure this government gets funded and we don’t have another Democratic shutdown,” he told reporters as he prepared to open the chamber for business.
The short-term funding bill underwent some significant changes in the Senate, which made it more palatable for Democrats.
It delays a proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget that would give political appointees more power over the distribution of federal grants. It also includes language to ensure the administration cannot transfer funds to the Border Patrol.
But a provision that delays for one month a federal ban on intoxicating hemp THC products has prompted criticism from many GOP lawmakers.
As a result, GOP leaders will probably place the bill on a fast-track process that avoids a separate procedural vote, bypassing any Republican efforts to block or stall the legislation.
Suspension bills require a two-thirds vote to pass, meaning a significant number from both parties need to support the measure for it to pass and advance to Trump’s desk. The funding vote will most likely take place later today.
In other developments:
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The Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to continue building his $۴۰۰m White House ballroom project. In a ۵-۴ decision along political lines, the justices found that a group issuing a legal challenge against the ballroom did not have standing to bring their case. Trump celebrated with a post on his Truth Social platform while Democrats criticized the decision.
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Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down from his role after ۱۸ months on the job, leaving another top military position vacant. Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reportedly butted heads for some time.
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Trump vowed further strikes on Iran and called it a “failed nation”. The remarks came as Washington and Tehran exchanged their first military strikes in a month.
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JD Vance gave a speech in Michigan that included an attacked against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. “There’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil,” Vance told the crowd.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of turning their trade dispute into a “political shouting match”. Carney had rejected the Trump administration’s terms that would have given the US government extensive power over Canada’s trade policy.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to block the appointment of election denier Tina Peters, who was convicted in ۲۰۲۴ in relation to a plot to chase pro-Trump election conspiracies. Newsom announced he would take measures to prevent Peters from working as an election consultant for Northern California’s Shasta county.
Key events
Thousands of American service members are about to descend on eastern Thailand, as the USS Abraham Lincoln makes a port call near the city of Pattaya.
The aircraft carrier sailed past Singapore over the weekend on its way back to the US after a lengthy deployment in the Middle East as part of the US war against Iran.
The Lincoln is expected to dock at a port in Chonburi province this week, according to Thai officials.
More than ۵,۰۰۰ American service members are onboard and many are expected to visit Pattaya, according to the city’s Mayor Poramet Ngampichet, who hopes the port call will boost the local economy. He said destroyer USS Frank E Petersen Jr will dock at a different port.
“For Pattaya to be seen as an important vacation spot is something that we have aimed for,” Poramet said. “We welcome more visits of the troops in the future, whether for a drill or a vacation, before they go back to the US.”
Massachusetts primaries test Democratic appetite for generational change
Generational change is on the ballot in Massachusetts on Tuesday as Democratic voters choose whether to renominate ۸۰-year-old progressive senator Ed Markey or replace him on the ballot with ۴۷-year-old representative Seth Moulton.
Markey, who has served in Congress for nearly ۵۰ years, is backed by leading progressives such as senator Bernie Sanders and representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as most members of the state’s congressional delegation, including senator Elizabeth Warren.
No members of the delegation have endorsed Moulton, a moderate US Marine Corps veteran whose supporters include New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and the Democratic organization VoteVets, Reuters reported.
The Boston Globe’s editorial board is also behind Moulton, casting him as a necessary agent of change with “proven leadership skills” and positions on key issues that align with most voters.
Markey has a nearly $۲m fundraising advantage over Moulton, and Markey has led in recent polls by a double-digit margin. The primary winner is heavily favored to win in November.
Democrat Kamala Harris carried the state by nearly ۲۵ percentage points in ۲۰۲۴.
A similar generational challenge is playing out in the Boston area, where moderate representative Stephen Lynch, ۷۱, is facing progressive attorney Patrick Roath, ۳۹.
House to vote on stopgap funding bill as lawmakers scramble to avoid government shutdown
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
House speaker Mike Johnson will launch a floor vote to pass the stopgap funding bill designed to keep the federal government fully funded through early December, removing the possibility of a shutdown before the midterm elections.
“The first thing is we’ve got to make sure this government gets funded and we don’t have another Democratic shutdown,” he told reporters as he prepared to open the chamber for business.
The short-term funding bill underwent some significant changes in the Senate, which made it more palatable for Democrats.
It delays a proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget that would give political appointees more power over the distribution of federal grants. It also includes language to ensure the administration cannot transfer funds to the Border Patrol.
But a provision that delays for one month a federal ban on intoxicating hemp THC products has prompted criticism from many GOP lawmakers.
As a result, GOP leaders will probably place the bill on a fast-track process that avoids a separate procedural vote, bypassing any Republican efforts to block or stall the legislation.
Suspension bills require a two-thirds vote to pass, meaning a significant number from both parties need to support the measure for it to pass and advance to Trump’s desk. The funding vote will most likely take place later today.
In other developments:
-
The Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to continue building his $۴۰۰m White House ballroom project. In a ۵-۴ decision along political lines, the justices found that a group issuing a legal challenge against the ballroom did not have standing to bring their case. Trump celebrated with a post on his Truth Social platform while Democrats criticized the decision.
-
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down from his role after ۱۸ months on the job, leaving another top military position vacant. Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reportedly butted heads for some time.
-
Trump vowed further strikes on Iran and called it a “failed nation”. The remarks came as Washington and Tehran exchanged their first military strikes in a month.
-
JD Vance gave a speech in Michigan that included an attacked against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. “There’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil,” Vance told the crowd.
-
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of turning their trade dispute into a “political shouting match”. Carney had rejected the Trump administration’s terms that would have given the US government extensive power over Canada’s trade policy.
-
California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to block the appointment of election denier Tina Peters, who was convicted in ۲۰۲۴ in relation to a plot to chase pro-Trump election conspiracies. Newsom announced he would take measures to prevent Peters from working as an election consultant for Northern California’s Shasta county.
