Scoop: Trump presses GOP rebels ahead of critical government shutdown vote

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is making calls on Monday to potential holdouts on a plan to avoid a government shutdown at the end of this week, a White House official confirmed to Fox News digital.

Three sources have said Trump world is making calls to Capitol Hill ahead of the late Tuesday afternoon vote.

Two senior House Republicans said they expected Trump to speak directly with critics of the bill sometime before the vote on Tuesday.

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The House and Senate must pass a bill and get it to Trump’s desk before the end of Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Two sources said Trump aides have been in contact with lawmakers who could vote against the bill, while the third source said the White House has also phoned reliable “yes” votes to ensure Republicans will “show a unified front” during the vote.

“I’m sure the president is making calls,” one senior House Republican told Fox News Digital.

But as of late afternoon Monday, the pressure campaign has not reached every House GOP lawmaker with doubts.

One GOP lawmaker who said they were undecided about the bill said they had not heard from the White House, nor House leadership.

The legislation is a rough extension of fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding levels known as a “continuing resolution” (CR).

Republicans have traditionally rejected CRs in droves, frequently advocating for “regular order” involving 12 annual appropriations bills crafted by Congress. 

But unlike with previous CR votes, House Democratic leaders have signaled that the left will not vote against shutting down the government en masse as usual over the last two years.

Democratic leaders have accused Republicans of using the CR to pave the way for Trump and Elon Musk to carry out their Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts — something conservatives are using as an argument to their own colleagues in favor of the bill.

It’s possible at least several moderate Democrats running in competitive races next year will vote to avoid a shutdown, but Republicans are expected to largely shoulder the burden on their own.

At least one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is already opposed. He wrote on X, “Unless I get a lobotomy Monday that causes me to forget what I’ve witnessed the past 12 years, I’ll be a NO on the CR this week.”

It’s not immediately clear if the White House has made any private overtures to Massie for his vote, and his spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.

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Former Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita, however, responded to him with a pointed message on X, “Tick tock Tommie.”

Meanwhile, a third House Republican, who said it “wouldn’t surprise” them if Trump was making calls, was frustrated at what they saw as repetitive political theater by dissenters.

“You’ve got these handful of members that see themselves as the ‘purists,’ and if we all just shared their vision, all of the problems we faced would magically disappear. This act is getting old!” the House Republican said. “Can you imagine if we just shut down the government during a unified government because we can’t get an agreement out of the House?”

Fox News Digital reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office and the White House for comment but did not hear back by press time.

House Republicans released the text of their 99-page continuing resolution on Saturday.

Trump was previously credited with helping get House Republicans’ framework for a massive conservative budget overhaul over the line after lengthy phone calls with two holdouts, Reps. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., and Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.