House Speaker Mike Johnson proposed a stopgap funding bill to maintain current federal spending levels through September 30.
House Republicans introduced a new spending bill on Saturday, known as a continuing resolution (CR), that includes some cuts to funding for police and law enforcement programs, including completely eliminating funding for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, proposed a stopgap funding bill to maintain current federal spending levels through September 30.Why It Matters
In a Truth Social post last Wednesday night, President Donald Trump demanded Republicans avert a potential government shutdown.
The CR, which would fund the government through September 30 without requiring new appropriations legislation, reduces the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) state and local law enforcement assistance and zeroes out several policing grant programs.
This legislation must pass by Friday’s midnight deadline of March 14 to avoid a partial government shutdown. This would be the first shutdown under Trump’s second administration.
The bill represents a major shift in Republican positioning on law enforcement funding, historically a key GOP priority. With Trump’s endorsement, House Republicans are attempting to push through these police funding cuts despite potential political costs and likely Democratic opposition.
