A last-minute 'slush fund' snag and 4 other key shutdown-ending moments
WASHINGTON – Partisan divides were on full display in the U.S. Capitol on the night of Nov. 12 as lawmakers voted to end the longest-ever government shutdown .
After a nearly two-month recess, members of the House of Representatives unleashed weeks' worth of frustration on the floor of the chamber over the history-making funding crisis that was largely left to the Senate to resolve .
Members of the House, who last voted on Sept. 19, returned to the nation's capital to approve the Senate-passed funding package that would reopen the government. Almost all Democrats opposed the measure, saying it didn't do enough to address the rising cost of health care. Most Republicans supported it, though. The final vote was 222-209.
More: Master stroke or dumb luck, Dems may win shutdown's long game
For both parties, the night brought its fair share of snags and notable scenes. Here are 5 key moments:
Race to return
Amid massive air travel disruptions, congressional leaders fretted their members wouldn't be able to return in time to vote. Some even resorted to carpooling, and a Republican congressman drove his motorcycle nearly 1,000 miles all the way from Wisconsin.
Read more: Lawmakers faced one last big hurdle to end shutdown. Flying to DC
Rep. Tom Tiffany, another Wisconsin Republican, was in Milwaukee on the morning of Nov. 12 to accept an endorsement in his race to become that state's governor. Like most other lawmakers, he eventually made it back to Washington in time for the vote.
Johnson gavels in after long break
After 54 days without voting, House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-Louisiana, gaveled in the chamber on the afternoon of Nov. 12. Johnson oversaw the longest recess of its kind, ceasing nearly all House activities as part of a political tactic to pressure Senate Democrats to reopen the government.
"We're not going to waste any more time," he said later in the evening.
Grijalva sworn in, securing Epstein vote
In his first order of business, Johnson swore in Arizona Democratic congresswoman Adelita Grijalva.
The official action took place seven weeks after her special election victory in September to replace her late father in Congress. The delay drew widespread rebukes from Democrats and even some Republicans, who said it set a dangerous precedent for transitions of political power.
Her addition to the legislative body guaranteed there was enough lawmaker support to force a vote on a measure that would release more government files related to the late disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein .
Read more: Adelita Grijalva sworn in after 7-week delay, securing Epstein files vote
Fight over 'slush fund' provision
The push to reopen the government hit a major snag when House Republicans began criticizing members of their own party in the Senate over a provision in the shutdown-ending funding package.
The measure, which Democrats said created a "slush fund," allows GOP senators like Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to sue the federal government if their electronic records are secretly obtained. The Biden administration subpoenaed his phone records and others as part of an investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Read more: Inside the details of the shutdown deal, from new cannabis rules to a Jack Smith jab
But Republicans in the House, including Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the powerful chair of the Appropriations Committee, said in recent days they were unaware of the provision before it was attached to the legislation to reopen the government.
Speaking to reporters after the House voted to pass the spending bill, Johnson said he called Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, on the morning of Nov. 12 to express how "very angry" he was about the provision. Johnson added that Republicans will introduce legislation next week to repeal the controversial provision.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts, said the measure would allow the lawmakers to "shovel millions of dollars into their own wallets."
"It's probably the most brazen theft and plunder of public resources ever proposed in the United States Congress," he said.
Dems struggle with unity
Democrats were trying to present a united front on Nov. 12. That didn't exactly happen.
The plan was first complicated by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez of Washington speaking up to criticize another Democrat, Rep. Chuy García of Illinois. The longtime Chicago politician, who is retiring, didn't allow enough of a primary to take place when choosing his replacement, she said.
Half a dozen Democrats then voted with Republicans to reopen the government.
Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 key moments from House vote to end the shutdown
