Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., right, respond to a question during a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
The House of Representatives is expected to vote Thursday on the final set of outstanding government funding bills as a partial federal government shutdown looms on Jan. 30.
The House earlier in the day narrowly cleared a crucial procedural hurdle on the bills when it voted 214-213 to adopt a rule for the bills’ consideration, signaling the measures likely have the votes to pass. A final vote is expected later Thursday afternoon.
The four bills account for the largest chunk of government spending, about $1.2 trillion in total. They would fund the departments of Defense; Health and Human Services; Homeland Security; Labor; Housing and Urban Development; Transportation; and Education.
The bills represent the final quartet of 12 annual appropriations bills required to fund the government and avoid a partial shutdown on Jan. 30. If they pass, the Senate would still need to approve them before they head to President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature. The Senate does not return until next week.
House lawmakers are widely expected to pass the bills on Thursday, with lawmakers desperate to avoid another shutdown after enduring a record 43-day shutdown last year.
Despite bipartisan accord on avoiding another shutdown, some of the bills still face serious hurdles.
Democrats have warned they will not support a bill to fund the Homeland Security Department after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent fatally shot a U.S. citizen in Minnesota earlier this month. The Homeland bill is being considered separately from the other three bills due to the political peril.
Meanwhile, Republicans from the Midwest have demanded a provision be added to the spending package to allow year-round sale of gasoline with a heavy mix of ethanol, known as E15. The fuel is currently restricted in the summer months due to smog concerns, though that restriction is frequently waived.
House Republican leadership agreed to create a congressional “E-15 Rural Domestic Energy Council” instead to assuage those Republicans.
Trump told Fox Business on Thursday that he “think[s] we’re going to probably end up in another Democrat shutdown,” but did not specify whether he was referring to the deadline at the end of this month.
