A federal government shutdown was narrowly avoided late Friday night with the help of Wyoming’s congressional delegation.
Wyoming Republicans U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, and Rep. Harriet Hageman all voted to support a spending measure that will keep government funding flowing through mid-March, sending it to President Joe Biden’s for his signature Saturday.
Both Republicans and Democrats issued support for the spending bill that was passed.
The Senate voted 85-11 for the America Relief Act of 2024, which includes $100 billion in disaster relief for parts of the South still reeling from a devastating hurricane season. It also extends farm programs for one year and provides $10 billion in direct aid for farmers.
“The people of Wyoming deserve a government that is open and working for them,” Barrasso said in a statement to Cowboy State Daily. “This bill ensures our troops get paid and provides Wyoming’s farmers and ranchers with much-needed assistance.
“It also clears the way for the new Senate Republican majority to confirm President Trump’s cabinet and deliver on our mandate from the American people.”
Lummis told Cowboy State Daily the Relief Act represents President-elect Donald Trump’s priorities.
“After four years of costly Bidenomics, Americans deserve a government funding bill that aligns with their priorities of President-elect Trump,” Lummis siad.
The package passed the House on a 366-34 vote, with the support of 196 Democrats and 170 Republicans.
“This is a win for Wyoming, and a win for the American people,” Hageman said in a press release. “We’ve set the stage to roll back harmful regulations in 2025, cut wasteful spending and ensure the priorities you voted for on Nov. 5 take center stage in the new year.”
Stage Set
Critically, the bill also pushes major spending decisions into 2025 for the first months of Trump’s incoming administration under a Republican-controlled Congress.
“This short-term legislation funds the government while giving Republicans the ability to make changes early in President Trump’s term,” Lummis said.
The final version of the bill passed did not include a provision originally demanded by Trump to suspend the federal debt limit. House Republican leaders have vowed to raise the debt limit in separate legislation next year.
After House Speaker Mike Johnson cut a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown earlier in the week, Trump and Elon Musk demanded a different plan, effectively killing the original 1,547-page omnibus that was filled with policy priorities for both parties and a pay raise for members of Congress.
“I refused to support the first version of this bill, and so did many of my colleagues, because it looked more like a liberal’s Christmas list than a continuing resolution,” Hageman said. “It was a bloated Democrat-driven spending spree with leftist political agendas at its core. We eliminated wasteful provisions to keep the government open without caving to those boondoggles.”
Influence
A second version of the bill heavily endorsed by Trump and Musk was also defeated.
Musk weighed in just before the final House vote Friday, commending Johnson for having done “a good job here, given the circumstances,” while also noting that many previously agreed-upon policies were taken out of the measure.
“It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces,” Musk posted on X, his social media platform.
Democrats blasted Musk and Trump for their outside influence throughout the negotiations process.
Lummis said on Fox News Friday that Musk and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s social media posts give Congress an undeniable view of what Trump is thinking. She said this influence is hardly surprising considering Biden’s lack of involvement throughout the negotiations process.
“There is not an indication he’s (Biden) been involved, so when there’s a vacuum like that … people default to the person who’s exhibiting leadership,” she said. “Right now, that person is Donald Trump.”
Lummis expects more chaos to come on Capitol Hill.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said. “It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be bumpy. We know that, it’s going to be really really bumpy. That’s what the public’s ready for.
“They want this place to get shaken up, they want disruptive change, they want transformative change and I honestly believe they’re going to get it. You’re just getting a little taste of it right now.”
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
