02/06/2025

House Democrats Seek Leverage in Government Funding Deadline

The federal spending freeze has been embraced by House Republican hardliners

With a March 14 government funding deadline fast approaching, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is urging his caucus to reject Trump administration plans to freeze federal funding as part of any bipartisan agreement to keep the government open.

Last week, the White House budget office ordered a pause on a wide range of grants and loans disbursed by the federal government, triggering mass confusion as federal agencies, contractors, nonprofit groups and other recipients of federal funding struggled to figure out which funds were or were not frozen. The budget office later rescinded the funding freeze, but not before it was blocked by court order after a legal challenge from a coalition led by the National Council of Nonprofits.

In a letter to House Democrats on Monday, Jeffries insisted that the freeze "must be choked off" in any forthcoming deal, adding, "if not sooner." His remarks signal growing Democratic resistance to the tight spending limits favored by some conservatives as lawmakers work to avert a potential shutdown.

The federal spending freeze pushed by the Trump administration has been embraced by House Republican hardliners who argue that it is necessary to rein in government expenditures. However, Jeffries and other Democratic leaders contend that such constraints threaten essential services and would hinder long-term economic stability.

Jeffries may have substantial leverage in upcoming negotiations on government funding. In the last Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) repeatedly turned to House Democrats for votes to approve must-pass spending because a conservative faction of his caucus will not vote for stopgap funding bills.

This article was provided to OSAP by ASAE's Power of Associations and Inroads.