Countdown to the U.S. government shutdown ends: The House of Representatives votes on the temporary funding bill on Wednesday night

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a temporary funding bill on Wednesday evening, December 12, Eastern Time. House Republicans have revealed that the final vote is expected to take place around 7 PM Eastern Time. This means that the longest federal government shutdown crisis in U.S. history, which has entered its 43rd day, is about to come to an end.

House Republican leader Steve Scalise stated that although the majority in the House is slim, he expects to garner enough support from Democratic members to pass the bill. The Senate approved the bill on Monday, which will fund the government until January 30 of next year and provide back pay for federal employees affected by the shutdown. President Trump has indicated that he will sign the bill.

The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a statement supporting the bill, stating that it will "ultimately end the longest government shutdown in history imposed on the American people by Congressional Democrats." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed that the White House is "very hopeful" that the government shutdown will end on Wednesday evening and blamed the Democrats for the economic losses.

This six-week stalemate has forced government employees to take unpaid leave, closed all federal government activities, suspended nutrition assistance programs, and exacerbated airport delays. Both parties have blamed each other for the responsibility, with polls showing that voters blame Republicans more, but the Democrats' level of responsibility has also reached its highest level in 30 years.

Voting Process and Schedule

The House will begin related procedures at 4 PM Eastern Time. Scalise told the media:

"We may start the procedures around 4 or 5 PM. The actual vote on the bill to fund the government may take place later, around 7 PM."

According to a notice from the office of House Republican Whip Tom Emmer obtained by the media, the vote on the final funding bill is expected to begin between 7 PM and 7:30 PM on Wednesday evening.

The House will hold a meeting at 4 PM to conduct the swearing-in ceremony for newly elected Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva, followed by a debate on the final bill rules. The rules vote is expected to take place between 5 PM and 5:30 PM. Once the rules are passed, the House will begin formal debate on the government funding bill. House Republican leadership expects the final vote to occur during the 7 PM timeframe.

Republican Advancement Plan

Scalise stated on Wednesday that House Republican leadership hopes to push hard next week to make up for the six weeks of time lost during the government shutdown. He said, "I want to rearrange the schedule and create more time to make up for what happened during the shutdown; in fact, there are many bills piled up that we originally planned to submit to Congress in October but were unable to do so."

Next week's priorities include legislation to reduce federal restrictions on liquefied natural gas and bills aimed at expanding refining capacity to lower soaring energy costs. Votes are also expected on several measures targeting Washington, D.C. A symbolic measure condemning American socialism is also on next week's agenda.

Scalise noted that the House will have a five-day legislative week from Monday to Friday, rather than the traditional four-day workweek. Members will need to work late into the night, with votes scheduled for the evening. "We will do this for the next few weeks until we catch up on the time missed while everyone was back in their districts," he said This adjustment is crucial as Congress will address several key priorities in the coming months. The government shutdown bill, expected to pass in the House on Wednesday, will push most federal spending for fiscal year 2026 to a deadline of January 30, while authorizing three of the twelve annual appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026. The remaining nine bills need to be completed in the coming weeks. Congress also needs to find bipartisan compromises on the annual defense policy bill, a new farm bill, and a highway bill.

White House and Trump’s Statements

The White House Office of Management and Budget expressed support for the appropriations bill passed by the Senate in an administrative policy statement. The statement said, "This bill finally ends the meaningless government shutdown imposed on the American people by congressional Democrats—the longest in history." The White House urged lawmakers to "support this responsible and good-faith outcome that ultimately ends the longest government shutdown in history," and promised that the president would sign the bill once it reaches his desk.

White House Press Secretary Levitt stated at a press conference on Wednesday, "Tonight, thanks to Republicans, the White House is very hopeful that this shutdown will come to an end. Our economy has lost billions of dollars in economic activity during this shutdown, damaging consumer confidence and severely impacting the travel and hospitality industries."

She cited estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, stating, "The Democratic-led shutdown could ultimately reduce economic growth by a full two percentage points in the fourth quarter."

Levitt noted that the government reopening measure that the House will vote on Wednesday night "is exactly what President Trump and Republicans have supported from day one." She mentioned that the president might allow cameras into the room to capture the moment he signs the government reopening bill.

Levitt also stated that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data and employment report for October "may never be released," which would affect the Federal Reserve's judgment in deciding on interest rate cuts and other monetary policies. The Labor Department indicated that staffing shortages during the shutdown affected its ability to conduct surveys, which form the basis of the reports.

Trump posted on his social media platform on Wednesday, stating, "Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein scam again because they will do anything to divert attention from their terrible performance on the shutdown and many other issues. Only very bad or stupid Republicans would fall into this trap."

Democratic Counterattack and Healthcare Issues

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries submitted a petition for a mandatory vote to extend the tax credits under the Affordable Care Act for three years. This petition requires at least 218 House members to sign in order to force a vote in Congress. If all Democrats sign, at least four Republicans would need to support it in a bipartisan manner.

Jeffries called on House Republicans to join Democrats in the effort to extend the healthcare tax credits at a press conference on Capitol Hill. "We urge our Republican colleagues to join us in extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits," he said. "We will work today, tomorrow, and for the rest of this year to ensure these Affordable Care Act tax credits are extended." Jeffries stated that House Democrats will propose legislation to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years, "to ensure that tens of millions of Americans do not experience significant increases in premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs." These tax credits were initially passed during the pandemic in 2021 and were extended for three years in 2022.

Jeffries told the media that Senate Democrats made a "very reasonable" proposal to Senate Republicans to extend the tax credits for one year, but it was rejected, "because Republicans have no interest in addressing the healthcare crisis they created." When asked if he was still willing to negotiate with Republicans on this issue, Jeffries stated that Democrats "have always been willing to negotiate in a bipartisan manner, but Republicans have consistently refused to sit down and engage in dialogue with Democrats."