Congress Set to End Government Shutdown as House Prepares Final Vote

After six weeks of political deadlock, the House of Representatives appears poised to end the longest government shutdown in American history, with lawmakers hurrying back to Capitol Hill following an extended absence from Washington.

The House Rules Committee will convene Tuesday after 5 p.m. to consider the Senate’s amended federal funding plan, according to sources who spoke with Fox News Digital. This procedural step represents the final hurdle before legislation reaches the House floor for a full vote.

The 42-day shutdown has caused widespread disruption across the nation, including thousands of air travel delays, uncertainty for millions who depend on federal benefits, and forced furloughs for thousands of federal workers. Others have continued working without pay throughout the crisis.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., briefed the media on the timeline for potentially ending the shutdown. The Rules Committee, a key congressional panel that sets terms for debate and possible amendments, is expected to advance the funding bill along party lines. While House Democratic leaders oppose the measure, Republicans have shown unified support, including from traditionally resistant conservative members.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who is currently running for state attorney general, confirmed to Fox News Digital that he would vote “yes” on the bill on the House floor, suggesting he would not oppose it in the Rules Committee. Similarly, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who is running for governor, indicated his likely support, pending verification of the bill’s details.

“My support is based on READING the FINE PRINT as it relates to the 3 bills especially VERIFYING the top line spending limits as we previously passed,” Norman stated. “If ‘THE FINE PRINT MATCHES’ what’s being reported, I will be a yes.”

The bipartisan compromise, passed by the Senate on Monday night, includes extending fiscal year 2025 federal funding levels through January 30, giving congressional negotiators additional time to reach a longer-term agreement on FY 2026 spending. The deal also advances legislation to fund three critical areas: the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch. These represent three of the 12 individual appropriations bills that typically comprise Congress’s annual budget.

In a concession to Democrats, the agreement would reverse federal layoffs implemented by the Trump administration in October, with affected workers receiving back pay. It also guarantees Senate Democrats a vote on legislation to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies that were boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic and are set to expire at year’s end.

However, no such guarantee was made in the House, effectively meaning Democrats conceded on a key demand to end the shutdown—a compromise that has angered progressive members and left-wing caucus leaders.

According to a notice sent to lawmakers, the full House is scheduled to consider the measure after 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The process will begin with a “rule vote” authorizing floor debate, followed by a vote on the actual legislation later that evening.

House schedules for both Tuesday and Wednesday were intentionally kept flexible to accommodate lawmakers returning to Washington amid nationwide flight delays and cancellations caused by the shutdown itself—a ironic complication to resolving the very crisis causing the travel disruptions.

The House last convened on September 19, when legislators passed a funding bill to keep the government operational through November 21. That measure received support from only one House Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, while facing opposition from two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana.

As of now, no additional House Republicans have publicly announced opposition to the new compromise, suggesting the bill will likely pass when it reaches the floor, finally bringing relief to millions of Americans affected by the prolonged shutdown.