The U.S. House of Representatives failed to move H.R. 10515 (American Relief Act) forward as a federal government shutdown deadline approaches. The motion lost by a vote of 174 to 235.
Four members of Oklahoma’s House Delegation voted for the motion to move the bill forward. One did not.
Congressman Tom Cole, the House Appropriations Committee Chairman, spoke in favor of the measure (see video below) which would extend government funding through March 14, 2025, provide more than $100 million in disaster and farm aid, and suspend the debt limit for two years. The later was a request by President-elect Donald Trump. As Chairman, Cole has been involved in the negotiations of both the original bi-partisan deal and the thinned down version which included Trump’s debt ceiling request. The original deal was stopped in its tracks when Trump and his government efficiency advisor and billionaire, Elon Musk, voiced their disapproval.
The federal government is facing a partial shutdown because Congress failed to meet its October 1, 2024, deadline to pass appropriations bills to fund government operations and programs. The government is currently operating under a continuing resolution which Congress passed in late September.
Cole, Congressman Frank Lucas, Congressman Kevin Hern, and Congresswoman Stephanie Bice voted for the continuing resolution.
Congressman Josh Brecheen joined the 38 Republicans and 197 Democrats who voted against the motion to move the American Relief Act forward.
Bice blames the Democrats for the budget stalemate.
“I am deeply disheartened that nearly every Democrat voted to shut down the government just five days before Christmas. This legislation would have given relief to families across the country who are recovering from natural disasters, such as tornadoes and hurricanes. It would have also provided emergency aid to struggling farmers who feed the nation. I appreciated President Trump’s guidance and leadership as we negotiated this package,” said Bice in a statement after the vote Thursday evening.
Before the vote took place, Hern, who is the incoming chair of the House Republican Policy Committee, voiced his support of the continuing resolution. He posted on Facebook along with a picture of Trump’s social media post supporting the deal, “I’m very thankful for the major changes made to the government funding bill, thanks to the hard work of President Trump. The bill presented to us today is something I can now vote for.”
Brecheen also took to Facebook to signal he would be voting no on the American Relief Act.
“My conscience led me to a “no” as the bill increases spending by over 100 billion, increases the debt limit, and does NOT offer real spending cuts, therefore allowing inflation to continue. My mind is on all Oklahoma families, farmers, and ranchers who have lost approximately 20 percent of their purchasing power since 2020 because of Congress’s continual deficit spending,” posted Brecheen.
It is back to the drawing board for House budget negotiators who either must get a deal to President Joe Biden to sign before midnight on Friday, or the shutdown will move forward until a funding solution can be found.
You can view Cole’s speech below.
