After House Vote, Shutdown Now Looks 'Almost Certain'

The conservative House Freedom Caucus scored a huge victory Thursday night—but it was one that may lead to a government shutdown by the end of Friday. After conservatives dug in their heels over a short-term spending bill from the Senate that did not include funds for President Trump's border wall, Trump said he wouldn't support a bill without wall funding, and House Republicans went on to pass a bill including $5 billion for wall funding. Democrats, however, say the bill will be dead on arrival in the Senate, where they have the votes to block it. With government funding set to expire at midnight Friday and little hope of breaking the impasse, a shutdown now appears "almost certain," Politico reports.

The House spending measure, which would fund the government until Feb. 8, passed 217-185, with no Democrats in favor and eight Republicans against, the Washington Post reports. Democratic leaders including Rep. Steny Hoyer slammed Trump and House Republicans for rejecting the Senate's spending compromise, though Republicans will now be able to accuse Democrats of causing a government shutdown by rejecting any bill with wall funding, as they have promised to do, the New York Times reports. "Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats now have to decide whether it is worth shutting down the government to keep us from securing our border," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said after the vote. (More government shutdown stories.)