Challenges Loom as House Prepares for Crucial Budget Vote

Tue Nov 11 2025 19:10:57 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As the US House gears up for a vital vote to end the government shutdown, key challenges emerge around healthcare funding and party unity.

Following the Senate's approval to end a historic government shutdown, the focus shifts to the House of Representatives, which faces numerous hurdles. Key issues include debates over healthcare subsidies and potential dissent among Republicans. With many lawmakers still coping with travel disruptions, the vote's timing remains uncertain.

A day after the US Senate passed a spending bill to end the longest-ever government shutdown, the budget fight now moves to the House of Representatives.

The lower chamber of Congress is expected to vote this week on the funding measure.

Unlike in the Senate, if House Republicans stay united, they don't need any Democrats to pass the budget. But the margin for error is razor thin.

Here are four potential hold-ups for the budget, before it can clear Congress and land on the president's desk for signing into law.

Will House Republicans budge on healthcare?

A key sticking point throughout the shutdown has been a desire on the part of Democrats to attach to the spending bill a renewal of tax credits that make health insurance less expensive for 24 million Americans.

Senate Republicans only agreed to offer Democrats a vote in December on whether to extend the subsidies – something they had already offered weeks ago.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has not committed to allowing a vote in his chamber on the tax credits.

This entails a fair degree of political risk for Republicans, however. If they torpedo the subsidies, health coverage premiums could spike for millions, handing Democrats a ready-made campaign issue for next year's midterm elections.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conservative Congresswoman from Georgia, has warned that her party must ensure health insurance premiums do not spike.

As the clock ticks down to the subsidies expiring by the end of December, Republicans are working out their plan, proposing income caps on who can receive the tax credits, and suggesting a system where tax dollars bypass insurance companies and go straight to individuals.

How intense will House Democratic opposition be?

With Democrats still having some wind in their sails after recent election victories, tensions between the party's pragmatic and progressive factions could complicate negotiations.

The left-wing members are furious at those who voted with Senate Republicans to pass the budget, viewing it as a capitulation to Trump. Congressman Greg Casar of Texas warned that a deal that does not reduce healthcare costs is a betrayal of millions counting on Democrats to fight for them.

However, centrist Democrats, such as Jared Golden of Maine, are more likely to cross the aisle to support the package.

Do Republicans have the votes?

Congressional Republicans have a narrow majority, holding 219 seats against the Democrats' 213, but can only afford to lose two votes to pass the spending plan. While most Republicans are expected to support the funding package, fiscal conservatives could raise objections.

Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rand Paul of Kentucky, among others, have expressed concerns about the proposed budget and its implications for federal spending.

Will travel chaos delay the return to Washington?

House Speaker Mike Johnson has urged lawmakers to return immediately to Washington for a potential vote amidst ongoing flight delays impacting members of Congress. A reduction in flights, along with severe weather conditions, adds more uncertainty as lawmakers prepare for key decisions.