Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters outside his office on Day 28 of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 28, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
The panel's hearing to advance the bill lasted more than six hours, kicking off Wednesday evening and ending shortly after 1 a.m. on Thursday.
Democrats attempted to force votes on amendments dealing with COVID-19-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year and other issues opposed by the GOP, though all failed.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made a notable surprise appearance at one point, testifying in favor of his own amendment to extend those subsidies for another three years.
The lengthy hearing saw members on opposite sides of the aisle clash several times as well, with Democrats repeatedly accusing Republicans of robbing Americans of their healthcare and taking a "vacation" for several weeks while remaining in their districts during the shutdown.
"I am sick and tired of hearing you all say we had an eight-week vacation," House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said at one point. "I worked every day. I don't know about you. I don't want to hear another soul say that."
Democrats and some Republicans also piled on a provision in the funding bill that would allow GOP senators to sue the federal government for $500,000 for secretly obtaining their phone records during ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation.
"I think there's gonna be a lot of people, if they look and understand this, they're going to see it as self-serving, self-dealing kind of stuff. And I don't think that's right," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said.
"I'm trying to figure out what we can do to force the Senate's hand to say, 'You're going to repeal this provision and fix it,' without amending it here."
The bill will now get a House-wide "rule vote," a procedural test that, if it passes, allows lawmakers to debate the legislation itself.
Lawmakers are expected to then hold a final vote sometime on Wednesday evening on sending the bill to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature.
United States Capitol building is seen in Washington on Dec. 2, 2024. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
They are three of 12 individual bills that are meant to make up Congress' annual appropriations, paired into a vehicle called a "minibus."
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In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs conducted by the Trump administration in October, with those workers getting paid for the time they were off.
A side-deal struck in the Senate also guaranteed Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are set to expire at the end of this year.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., however, has made no such promise in the House.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bill-end-government-shutdown-survives-key-hurdle-before-house-wide-vote