The end of the partial government shutdown appeared in reach on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, after House Speaker Mike Johnson secured enough Republican support to advance the Senate’s funding agreement. By late Tuesday morning, the House approved a procedural “rule vote” that opens floor debate and sets up a final passage vote expected early Tuesday afternoon.
The procedural win followed days of uncertainty as a small bloc of conservatives threatened to withhold support unless the measure was paired with a separate election bill.
With the rule now adopted, House leaders plan to move swiftly to a final vote that would send most of the government’s remaining appropriations to the president’s desk, while placing the Department of Homeland Security on a short extension.
What the rule vote does
A rule vote is the House’s test of whether a bill will be allowed onto the floor for debate and amendment under specified terms. These votes are typically party line, even when the underlying legislation draws bipartisan support. On Tuesday, the chamber approved the rule to consider the Senate’s funding package, clearing the way for an hourslong debate followed by a vote on final passage around 1 p.m. Eastern time.
The rule’s approval signals that leadership likely has the votes to pass the underlying bill. It does not guarantee the outcome, but it allows the House to proceed with the scheduling, debate limits, and amendment scope that govern consideration. With the rule in place, members will now turn to arguments over content rather than procedure.
Johnson’s pathway with a razor-thin margin
Speaker Johnson navigated a one-seat Republican majority, pressing for near-unity inside his conference to overcome internal resistance. Although several Democrats are expected to support the underlying bill on final passage, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has urged his caucus to oppose the Senate framework.
That left Johnson to marshal almost every Republican for the rule vote, a task that grew more feasible when two holdouts reversed course late Monday.
Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Tim Burchett had warned they would oppose the rule unless the chamber added the SAVE America Act to the funding measure.
Both lawmakers said they shifted to yes after receiving assurances that the Senate would take up the election bill separately. Their change of position gave leadership the breathing room needed to move the rule and keep the overall funding plan on track.
What is in the funding agreement
The Senate’s package would fully fund the remaining parts of the government through the end of fiscal 2026, except for Homeland Security. The DHS budget would continue at current levels until February 13, giving the chambers time to negotiate a longer-term plan focused on immigration enforcement policies.
The package covers large swaths of discretionary spending, including the Pentagon and major domestic agencies, representing the bulk of the annual budget still unresolved when the shutdown began.
Before this week, approximately 78 percent of the government’s annual funding remained in limbo after negotiations broke down over the DHS title. Senate leaders and the White House devised a two-track approach to end the broader lapse quickly while isolating the narrower dispute.
The short extension for DHS is intended to avoid operational disruptions at the border and in disaster response while talks continue.
