GOP gains advantage in spending battles, with unexpected support from staunch conservatives
On Tuesday, a number of hard-right members cast their votes for their inaugural stopgap spending bill. “I’m as stunned as anybody else,” remarked Rep. Andy Biggs.
TroibNews 
For a long time, one principle has guided funding negotiations on Capitol Hill: House Republicans cannot pass a spending bill without the votes of Democrats. However, President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson challenged that notion on Tuesday.
Their success came after an extensive lobbying effort that involved promises of future spending cuts, presidential threats, and last-minute policy concessions regarding tariffs and Afghan refugee visas. In a 217-213 vote, the House passed a seven-month funding measure without any Democratic support. Following this, Republicans intended to swiftly exit Washington, leaving Senate Democrats to grapple with the looming threat of a government shutdown early Saturday morning.
The bill not only sent a significant message to the Senate by cutting non-defense funding by approximately $13 billion and granting Trump increased flexibility in budget allocation, but it also diminished Democrats' bargaining power in spending negotiations for the remainder of the 119th Congress.
“The Democrats always got a pound of flesh,” Rep. Ralph Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, noted in an interview. “It's just a new day.”
In a remarkable display of political maneuvering, GOP leaders secured the support of the Freedom Caucus—a group known for its hardline stance against Republican leadership during spending negotiations. Every lawmaker in the 31-member fiscal conservative group voted in favor of the funding bill, marking a significant moment as it was the first time many of them backed a measure to continue the flow of federal funds.
“I’m as stunned as anybody else,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, a prominent opponent of continuing resolutions, regarding his vote for the bill this time.
According to Freedom Caucus members, their support stemmed from the bill’s spending cuts and the inclusion of their ideas in the negotiations.
“It's much easier to be flexible within the parameters of our own core principles when we've been deeply involved in crafting the legislation,” Rep. Clay Higgins, another Freedom Caucus member, shared in an interview.
Nevertheless, it was clear that Trump’s aggressive pressure campaign—conducted both behind closed doors and in public—played a critical role.
The strategy involved getting key dissenters like Rep. Chip Roy and other frequent critics of leadership on board early. This followed a White House meeting last month where Trump endorsed Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune's decision to forgo bipartisan discussions in favor of a seven-month stopgap measure.
The effort was intense, with several Republicans holding out until the last minute. However, thanks to numerous meetings with key hard-liners and Trump’s personal outreach, every Republican but one ultimately supported the bill.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie was the sole GOP member to vote against the measure, prompting Trump to publicly suggest that Massie face a primary challenge. Massie remained undeterred, commenting, “You’re going to find out what a stinker it is when you get 10 or 15 Democrats to vote for it” in the Senate.
After the vote, Johnson remarked that the president had been “very engaged, very helpful” in rallying support from the fractious Republican conference. One of Trump’s calls that day was to Rep. Tim Burchett, during which Trump offered assurances about forthcoming significant cuts to federal spending, possibly affecting the Pentagon.
The Freedom Caucus’s unexpected backing of a continuing resolution signifies a considerable shift in the dynamics on Capitol Hill and underscores a moment of reckoning for Republicans, who have historically held firm on fiscal ideals while also being cautious of challenging the president. The current House GOP majority is so slim that they can spare virtually no votes.
“I just feel like there's really no option here,” Rep. Scott DesJarlais, another Freedom Caucus member who typically opposes continuing resolutions, explained. “What do you do when you have no majority?”
Many Republicans acknowledge that such unity on spending is unlikely to last. If the Senate passes the bill this week, more contentious negotiations are anticipated later in the year, as fiscal conservatives push for significant cuts to be enshrined in law.
The Freedom Caucus, for example, aims to secure trillions of dollars in cuts to safety-net programs as part of the larger Republican policy agenda they wish to enact this year while also ensuring the elimination of certain jobs and initiatives initiated by the president's Department of Government Efficiency in upcoming spending bills.
“I see this as getting a first down,” Rep. Scott Perry, the former chair of the Freedom Caucus, remarked in a brief interview. “The touchdown is yet to be gotten.”
The transformation is striking: just 18 months ago, a large segment of the Freedom Caucus voted against a funding patch introduced by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which included Republican policies for border security and an almost 30 percent cut to non-defense spending—far deeper than the current measure. McCarthy was ousted from his leadership position by hard-liners shortly thereafter.
In an ironic twist, McCarthy visited his former colleagues on Monday and was asked how he felt witnessing fiscal conservatives rally behind a temporary funding measure.
“Mine had more cuts, so,” McCarthy replied, trailing off in a brief interview as he left the Capitol.
Many Republicans argue that this stopgap is distinct from previous ones that have faltered in recent years, prompting leadership to seek bipartisan agreements with Democrats.
“This is not your grandfather's continuing resolution," House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris stated on Tuesday, standing alongside Johnson at a news conference.
Some holdouts delayed their decisions until the end. Despite Vice President JD Vance’s warning that a government shutdown could lead to GOP blame, several House Republicans left a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning still claiming uncertainty about the funding bill. Inside the meeting, Vance firmly stated, “We already lost one vote; we can’t lose another.”
A number of holdouts sought additional calls with Trump and more meetings, but Speaker Johnson later indicated that he believed there were only "one or two" real holdouts left as the vote approached. By the time he was heading to the floor, he felt no further outreach was necessary.
Several GOP fiscal hawks acknowledged they planned to support the funding bill primarily because of Trump’s push rather than allegiance to Johnson or any efforts from his team, as Rep. Eric Burlison, a Freedom Caucus member, explained. “It’s his word,” he said.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
Their success came after an extensive lobbying effort that involved promises of future spending cuts, presidential threats, and last-minute policy concessions regarding tariffs and Afghan refugee visas. In a 217-213 vote, the House passed a seven-month funding measure without any Democratic support. Following this, Republicans intended to swiftly exit Washington, leaving Senate Democrats to grapple with the looming threat of a government shutdown early Saturday morning.
The bill not only sent a significant message to the Senate by cutting non-defense funding by approximately $13 billion and granting Trump increased flexibility in budget allocation, but it also diminished Democrats' bargaining power in spending negotiations for the remainder of the 119th Congress.
“The Democrats always got a pound of flesh,” Rep. Ralph Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, noted in an interview. “It's just a new day.”
In a remarkable display of political maneuvering, GOP leaders secured the support of the Freedom Caucus—a group known for its hardline stance against Republican leadership during spending negotiations. Every lawmaker in the 31-member fiscal conservative group voted in favor of the funding bill, marking a significant moment as it was the first time many of them backed a measure to continue the flow of federal funds.
“I’m as stunned as anybody else,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, a prominent opponent of continuing resolutions, regarding his vote for the bill this time.
According to Freedom Caucus members, their support stemmed from the bill’s spending cuts and the inclusion of their ideas in the negotiations.
“It's much easier to be flexible within the parameters of our own core principles when we've been deeply involved in crafting the legislation,” Rep. Clay Higgins, another Freedom Caucus member, shared in an interview.
Nevertheless, it was clear that Trump’s aggressive pressure campaign—conducted both behind closed doors and in public—played a critical role.
The strategy involved getting key dissenters like Rep. Chip Roy and other frequent critics of leadership on board early. This followed a White House meeting last month where Trump endorsed Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune's decision to forgo bipartisan discussions in favor of a seven-month stopgap measure.
The effort was intense, with several Republicans holding out until the last minute. However, thanks to numerous meetings with key hard-liners and Trump’s personal outreach, every Republican but one ultimately supported the bill.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie was the sole GOP member to vote against the measure, prompting Trump to publicly suggest that Massie face a primary challenge. Massie remained undeterred, commenting, “You’re going to find out what a stinker it is when you get 10 or 15 Democrats to vote for it” in the Senate.
After the vote, Johnson remarked that the president had been “very engaged, very helpful” in rallying support from the fractious Republican conference. One of Trump’s calls that day was to Rep. Tim Burchett, during which Trump offered assurances about forthcoming significant cuts to federal spending, possibly affecting the Pentagon.
The Freedom Caucus’s unexpected backing of a continuing resolution signifies a considerable shift in the dynamics on Capitol Hill and underscores a moment of reckoning for Republicans, who have historically held firm on fiscal ideals while also being cautious of challenging the president. The current House GOP majority is so slim that they can spare virtually no votes.
“I just feel like there's really no option here,” Rep. Scott DesJarlais, another Freedom Caucus member who typically opposes continuing resolutions, explained. “What do you do when you have no majority?”
Many Republicans acknowledge that such unity on spending is unlikely to last. If the Senate passes the bill this week, more contentious negotiations are anticipated later in the year, as fiscal conservatives push for significant cuts to be enshrined in law.
The Freedom Caucus, for example, aims to secure trillions of dollars in cuts to safety-net programs as part of the larger Republican policy agenda they wish to enact this year while also ensuring the elimination of certain jobs and initiatives initiated by the president's Department of Government Efficiency in upcoming spending bills.
“I see this as getting a first down,” Rep. Scott Perry, the former chair of the Freedom Caucus, remarked in a brief interview. “The touchdown is yet to be gotten.”
The transformation is striking: just 18 months ago, a large segment of the Freedom Caucus voted against a funding patch introduced by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which included Republican policies for border security and an almost 30 percent cut to non-defense spending—far deeper than the current measure. McCarthy was ousted from his leadership position by hard-liners shortly thereafter.
In an ironic twist, McCarthy visited his former colleagues on Monday and was asked how he felt witnessing fiscal conservatives rally behind a temporary funding measure.
“Mine had more cuts, so,” McCarthy replied, trailing off in a brief interview as he left the Capitol.
Many Republicans argue that this stopgap is distinct from previous ones that have faltered in recent years, prompting leadership to seek bipartisan agreements with Democrats.
“This is not your grandfather's continuing resolution," House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris stated on Tuesday, standing alongside Johnson at a news conference.
Some holdouts delayed their decisions until the end. Despite Vice President JD Vance’s warning that a government shutdown could lead to GOP blame, several House Republicans left a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning still claiming uncertainty about the funding bill. Inside the meeting, Vance firmly stated, “We already lost one vote; we can’t lose another.”
A number of holdouts sought additional calls with Trump and more meetings, but Speaker Johnson later indicated that he believed there were only "one or two" real holdouts left as the vote approached. By the time he was heading to the floor, he felt no further outreach was necessary.
Several GOP fiscal hawks acknowledged they planned to support the funding bill primarily because of Trump’s push rather than allegiance to Johnson or any efforts from his team, as Rep. Eric Burlison, a Freedom Caucus member, explained. “It’s his word,” he said.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
