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Adeola Adeosun is the Newsweek Weekend Night Editor based in Atlanta, Georgia. Her focus is reporting on U.S. national news, politics and trends. Adeola joined Newsweek in 2024 and has previously worked for CNN, Bossip, and The Messenger. You can get in touch with Adeola by emailing a.adeosun@newsweek.com. Languages: English.
Weekend Night Editor
House Republicans introduced a new spending bill on Saturday, known as a continuing resolution (CR). House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, proposed a stopgap funding bill to maintain current federal spending levels through September 30.
Newsweek reached out to Johnson’s office via email on Saturday for comment.
Why It Matters
In a Truth Social post last Wednesday night, President Donald Trump demanded Republicans avert a potential government shutdown.
The CR, which would fund the government through September 30 without requiring new appropriations legislation, reduces the Department of Justice‘s (DOJ) state and local law enforcement assistance and zeroes out several policing grant programs.
This legislation must pass by Friday’s midnight deadline of March 14 to avoid a partial government shutdown. This would be the first shutdown under Trump’s second administration.
What To Know
House Republicans’ leadership staff outlined the contours of the measure, saying it would allow for about $892.5 billion in defense spending and about $708 billion in nondefense spending. The defense spending is slightly above the prior year’s level, but the nondefense spending, the aides said, was about $13 billion below last year.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, on Saturday: “The House and Senate have put together, under the circumstances, a very good funding Bill (‘CR’)! All Republicans should vote (Please!) YES next week… We have to remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right. VERY IMPORTANT. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Representative Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican, said in a statement: “I don’t like CRs [continuing resolutions]. But what’s the alternative? Negotiate with Democrats? No.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, a New York Democrat, told reporters last week: “Democrats are ready to negotiate a meaningful, bipartisan spending agreement that puts working people first. [The] partisan continuing resolution threatens to cut funding for key programs…That is not acceptable.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters: “[I’m] asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the Country’s ‘financial house’ in order.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, in a statement: “We have always believed the only solution is a bipartisan solution, no matter what.”
What Happens Next
The bill is scheduled for a vote on Tuesday despite the lack of Democratic support. If Congress fails to act by Friday’s deadline, a partial government shutdown will begin.
Update 3/8/25, 8:54 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with corrected information from the Associated Press.
