House Debates Funding Bill as Shutdown Nears End

Congress returned to the Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, for the final House floor debate and an expected late-evening vote on a Senate-passed funding package that could end a 43-day federal government shutdown. Lawmakers traded blame during the final hours as Republicans pushed to adopt the Senate measure and Democrats pressed to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits. The chamber completed a procedural vote on the debate rule and moved toward a final passage vote expected in the 7 p.m. hour. Key policy riders — from a hemp THC limit to a provision allowing senators to sue over certain data seizures — remain points of contention that could shape follow-on fights in Congress and with the White House.

• The shutdown has lasted 43 days; the House advanced the Senate funding rule in a procedural vote that recorded 213 Republicans for and 209 Democrats against, clearing the way for final debate and an expected vote later that evening.
• House reconvened at 4:00 p.m.; Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva was sworn in at about 4:11 p.m., seven weeks after her special-election victory on Sept. 23.
• Democrats filed or signaled discharge petitions to force votes on extending ACA health-insurance tax credits for three years and to compel release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents; the discharge petition to force the health-care vote requires 218 signatures to reach the floor.
• The Senate package includes a hemp-related THC cap of 0.4 milligrams per container — far below many commercial products that contain roughly 5 mg per serving — and a disputed provision that would allow senators to seek up to $500,000 in damages over certain data seizures.
• White House OMB formally endorsed the Senate funding package and the administration signaled it will sign the bill if it reaches the president’s desk; President Trump publicly urged Republicans to prioritize reopening government over other issues.
• Economic data gaps persist: the Labor Department did not publish October jobs and CPI reports amid the shutdown, prompting warnings that policymakers, including the Federal Reserve, face impaired data at a critical moment for rate planning.

Background

The House had been largely absent from session since Sept. 19 after moving a short-term funding measure; Republicans delayed returning for weeks even as the shutdown stretched into its sixth week. The impasse centered on disagreements over policy riders and whether to include an extension of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that Democrats say must be renewed to prevent higher costs for millions of enrollees. Senate negotiators ultimately produced a compromise package; it passed the Senate and was sent to the House for consideration.

That Senate-passed deal contains several provisions beyond baseline funding levels: a temporary cap on certain hemp-derived THC products, language addressing data seizures that has alarmed civil-liberties critics and a slate of spending allocations that party leaders say will avoid a further lapse. Republicans who opposed aspects of the Senate text face a difficult choice: accept the bill to restore government operations or insist on amendments that would send the measure back to the Senate and prolong the shutdown.

Main Event

The House convened at 4 p.m. and began the day with the swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva, who had her oath administered by Speaker Mike Johnson after a seven-week delay. Grijalva signed a discharge petition on the floor to force a vote on compelling Justice Department disclosure of Jeffrey Epstein-related files, accelerating a timeline some expected would take longer under chamber rules.

Debate on the rule governing consideration of the Senate bill lasted around an hour; the Rules adoption passed in a procedural tally of 213 Republicans to 209 Democrats. Members then entered a second hour of floor debate before a final passage vote expected in the 7 p.m. hour. Floor remarks ranged from full-throated defense of the Senate compromise to pointed critiques that it enshrined harmful or unnecessary provisions.

House Republican leaders pushed for passage as the fastest avenue to end the shutdown, with Majority Leader Steve Scalise expressing confidence the bill would pass. Democrats, led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, insisted they would continue to fight for a multiyear extension of expiring health-insurance tax credits and criticized GOP lawmakers for what they called an absence of good-faith negotiation during the shutdown.

Other flash points arose on the floor: Representative comments and committee debate revealed Republican discomfort with a Senate provision allowing senators to sue over certain data seizures and Democratic alarm over the absence of health-care protections in the Senate text. At least one House Republican said he would introduce standalone repeal legislation next week for the senator-suit provision if the bill becomes law.

Analysis & Implications

A successful House vote to accept the Senate funding package would likely end the shutdown quickly, restoring pay for many federal workers, reopening services and allowing delayed federal statistics to resume publication. Politically, passage would be framed by Republicans as delivering on reopening government; Democrats will stress unmet policy demands, particularly on health-care affordability, to keep pressure on GOP lawmakers ahead of future negotiation windows.

Economically, prolonged gaps in federal statistical releases — notably October’s CPI and jobs reports — complicate monetary and fiscal decision-making. Policymakers at the Federal Reserve rely on timely CPI and employment data to set the path for interest-rate adjustments; missing or delayed reports reduce visibility and increase uncertainty when the central bank weighs potential rate moves.

The hemp provision illustrates how negotiated packages can carry industry-altering consequences: a 0.4 mg per-container cap would render many legal hemp-derived THC products effectively illegal within a year of enactment, according to industry associations. That provision could trigger legal and legislative fights even after the shutdown ends, with affected states, producers and retailers pushing back through courts and Congress.

Comparison & Data

The table above highlights key numeric trade-offs shaping floor strategy. Lawmakers weighing whether to approve the compromise must balance the immediate public-service restoration against potential longer-term policy costs embedded in the package.

Reactions & Quotes

“House Democrats are in this fight until we win this fight,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, framing Democrats’ continued push to extend expiring health-insurance tax credits as a top priority even if the shutdown ends tonight.

H. Jeffries (House Minority Leader)

Jeffries’ remarks followed his filing of a discharge petition to force a vote on a three-year extension of the credits; Democrats said the measure would provide certainty to millions of Americans facing rising premiums.

“We believe the long national nightmare will be over tonight,” said Speaker Mike Johnson as he urged colleagues to approve the Senate text and end the shutdown.

M. Johnson (Speaker of the House)

Johnson and other Republican leaders framed passage as the immediate remedy for furloughed workers and disrupted services, while acknowledging some members objected to specific provisions that remain subject to future repeal or revision.

Unconfirmed

• Whether the House will successfully bypass the seven-legislative-day waiting period for an Epstein-related discharge petition — Speaker Johnson said he would, but the procedural mechanics and any legal objections could alter that timeline.
• The long-term damage to the federal statistical system asserted by some administration critics (that October CPI and jobs reports may “never” be released) remains uncertain; the Labor Department and other agencies have not issued definitive statements on permanent loss of historical series.
• The likely Senate response to any House amendments or repeal efforts (for example, the senator-sue provision or hemp language) is unknown; passage in the House would not guarantee Senate acceptance of later changes.

Bottom Line

The House’s late-evening deliberations on Nov. 12 represent a pivotal moment to end the 43-day shutdown and restore federal functions — but acceptance of the Senate package would not close policy fights. Democrats have signaled they will keep pressing for a multi-year extension of health-insurance tax credits and for release of Epstein-related materials; Republicans have signaled readiness to seek repeal or follow-on bills to undo provisions they oppose.

Even if the bill passes and the president signs it, expect immediate and sustained post-shutdown battles: legal challenges from affected industries (notably hemp producers), legislative amendments aimed at the senator-suit language, and ongoing political messaging about who bore responsibility for the prolonged lapse. For policymakers and markets alike, the immediate priority is reopening government; the longer-term work of resolving embedded policy riders and repairing data gaps will take months of follow-up actions.

Sources

• CBS News — live updates and reporting (news)
• U.S. House of Representatives — official chamber information and floor schedule (official)
• Congressional Budget Office — economic analyses and estimates (official)