The U.S. House narrowly approved a continuing resolution last night to fund the federal government through November 18. The resolution was slightly different from the version that failed in the House on Wednesday, but Iowa’s representatives voted the same way.
The new spending resolution barely won approval on a 219 to 203 vote (roll call). As on September 21, almost all the House Democrats rejected the resolution, including Bruce Braley (IA-01), Dave Loebsack (IA-02), and Leonard Boswell (IA-03). The difference was that last night only 24 House Republicans voted no, whereas 48 of them had rejected the continuing resolution put to a vote on Wednesday.
Republican Tom Latham (IA-04) was again the only yes vote from Iowa on the continuing resolution. Steve King (IA-05) remained with conservatives who are seeking deeper spending cuts.
Russell Berman explained the minor change that put the spending resolution over the top:
After 48 Republicans opposed his bill on Wednesday, [Speaker John Boehner] faced a choice: Scrap a spending cut to win over Democrats who had pulled their support for the bill, or persuade dissenting conservatives that the original bill was the best deal they could get.
Boehner chose his right flank, adding a sweetener in the form of a $100 million rescission to the loan guarantee program that funded the bankrupt energy company Solyndra.
The U.S. Senate is expected to take up and reject the continuing resolution today.
Democrats opposed the GOP bill en masse because it partially offsets $3.65 billion in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with a $1.5 billion cut to a separate Department of Energy manufacturing loan program.
“The bill the House will vote on tonight is not an honest effort at compromise. It fails to provide the relief that our fellow Americans need as they struggle to rebuild their lives in the wake of floods, wildfires and hurricanes, and it will be rejected by the Senate,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a statement Thursday night before the House vote.
“I was optimistic that my House Republican colleagues would learn from their failure yesterday and move towards the middle. Instead, they moved even further towards the Tea Party.”
Congress is scheduled to be in recess next week, but the House and Senate members may need to stay in Washington to avert a government shutdown.