Vice President Vance delivered a closing pitch in favor of Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) government funding bill during the House GOP’s private conference meeting Tuesday, hours before the lower chamber is scheduled to vote on the measure.
Members said Vance argued that the six-month funding measure would allow the Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to continue to slash federal programs and pause spending.
“That’s his No. 1 goal,” Rep. Tim Burchett (Tenn.), a GOP holdout, said of Vance urging Republicans to support the measure.
And Vance warned the GOP lawmakers that if the stopgap fails in the House, Republicans will be blamed for the shutdown, a source in the room told The Hill. But, if the bill clears the House and is blocked in the upper chamber, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will bear the burden of letting the lights turn off in Washington, Vance argued.
“If it passes and is signed into law, America will benefit!” the vice president added, according to the source.
The message came amid uncertainty about the continuing resolution’s (CR) fate in the House. A number of Republicans are still undecided on the measure, at least one GOP lawmaker is promising to vote “no,” and Democrats are expected to oppose the legislation in droves.
With the midnight Friday shutdown deadline looming and President Trump in favor of the stopgap, Vance urged House Republicans to get the bill over the finish line.
Live updates: Johnson works to avert shutdown
The House is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on the rule for the measure at 1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, marking the first test for Johnson. If that is successful, a final vote is slated for 4 p.m.
Leaving the House GOP conference meeting on Tuesday, a handful of Republicans said they remained undecided despite hearing Vance’s pitch, including Burchett and Reps. Kat Cammack (Fla.), Beth Van Duyne (Texas) and Rich McCormick (Ga.). Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) previously said they were undecided, while Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said he plans to make a “game-time decision.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) is the only GOP “no” vote thus far.
The indecisiveness among some GOP lawmakers and Massie’s strong opposition are a concerning sign for Johnson, who is grappling with a razor-thin majority. If all Democrats vote “no” and there is full attendance, Johnson can only afford to lose one GOP vote.
“I wish Congress were doing more of putting together an actual budget, passing appropriations, and cutting government spending, which is what all of us campaigned on,” Van Duyne said leaving the meeting with Vance, saying she was still undecided after Vance’s visit with the GOP conference.
Burchett said “I don’t know” when asked if there is a path to becoming a “yes” vote on the measure. “I just like to talk to him about my issues, and I guess he’ll get around to me,” he added.
“I’d like verification that in the future that we’re gonna reduce the spending at the Pentagon,” he said.
Cammack told reporters after the meeting that she wants assurances on a rescissions package and a top-line number for fiscal 2026 funding bills ahead of the vote.
“We need to make sure that we’re including some sort of rescission package, working with the White House,” Cammack said. “All of us want to make sure that the president and ultimately the country is successful. We have a very short window of time to get this done, but we need to make sure that those lines of communication are staying open.”
“We can work with the White House on a rescissions package to make sure that we’re getting all of the things that DOGE has been working on accounted for,” she added. “We also need to make sure that we are getting a top-line number for FY 26. That’s been a huge problem.”
The Florida Republican said she was “looking forward” to her conversations with the White House later on Tuesday, but she did not disclose whom she was slated to speak with.
Despite those undecided votes, however, GOP leaders are expressing confidence that the funding patch will pass — with or without help from Democrats.
“We will have votes,” Johnson said in a press conference Tuesday. “We’re going to pass the CR. We could do it on our own. But what I’m saying is, Democrats ought to do the responsible thing, follow their own advice in every previous scenario and keep the government open.”
