Analyses / Whip Count Analysis / 119 · HR 5371 Whip Count Analysis

119-HR-5371 DC Insider Whip Count Analysis

119 · HR 5371 Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026

trending_up Economics and Public Finance
Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026This act ends the government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, by...

Bottom line: With Republicans holding the White House, Senate, and House in the 119th Congress, leadership leveraged control of floor time and Appropriations to muscle H.R. 5371 through after weeks of Senate cloture failures. Final headcounts: Senate 60-40; House 222-209. Passage hinged on a small bloc of Senate Democrats plus Sen. King to clear 60, and six House Democrats to offset two GOP defections. The package paired a short CR (to Jan. 30, 2026) with full‑year Ag, Leg Branch, and MilCon‑VA bills, back pay for furloughed feds, and a RIF freeze—meeting business/labor pressure to end the shutdown while omitting Dem demands on ACA subsidies. Confidence (ex ante): Senate passage moderate; House passage high. [1]Congress.gov — Congressional Record Daily Digest (Senate passed H.R. 5371 by 60…[2]U.S. Senate — U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote No. 617 (Cloture on H.R. 5371 as amend…[3]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Member Votes…[4]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Roll Call 28…

Analyzed as
DC Insider
Published
14 Nov 2025
Updated
14 Nov 2025
Tags
whip count · continuing resolution · appropriations
Unvetted
01 · Section

Breakdown: expected support/opposition by party and caucus

Context at the vote: Republican unified government (President Trump, Senate and House GOP majorities). Senate required 60; House operated under a structured rule (H.Res. 873). [5]Wikipedia — 119th United States Congress (leadership summary)[6]Congress.gov — Text of H.Res. 873 (rule for Senate amendment to H.R. 5371)

  • Senate (final): expected GOP near‑unanimous yeas (53) + 7–8 non‑GOP yeas to clear cloture and final passage; actual: 60–40. Reporting indicated seven Democrats plus Independent Sen. Angus King joined to reach 60. [2]U.S. Senate — U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote No. 617 (Cloture on H.R. 5371 as amend…[1]Congress.gov — Congressional Record Daily Digest (Senate passed H.R. 5371 by 60…[7]Washington Post — How every senator voted on the bill to reopen the government
  • House (rule): expected strict party‑line—GOP for, Democrats against—and that’s how the rule carried, 213–209. [8]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Roll Call 28…
  • House (final concur in Senate amendment): expected GOP conference largely unified with a few defections, offset by a handful of Democratic crossovers; actual tally showed Rs 216–2–1 (Y–N–NV) and Ds 6–207–1, for 222–209 overall. [4]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Roll Call 28…
  • Issue alignment: business groups (U.S. Chamber) and transportation labor (NATCA) publicly urged ending the shutdown via a clean CR—pressure that pointed swing offices toward “yes.” [9]U.S. Chamber of Commerce — U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Coalition letter urging Co…[10]Politico — NATCA backs clean CR to end shutdown
  • Policy content shaping votes: the bill paired a short CR (to Jan. 30, 2026) with full‑year Ag/Leg Branch/MilCon‑VA; included federal back pay and an RIF freeze; excluded a one‑year ACA subsidy extension—driving most Democrats to oppose. [11]Congress.gov — H.R.5371 – Congress.gov overview page (119th Congress)[12]Web search · turn 7 #3[7]Washington Post — How every senator voted on the bill to reopen the government
Senate final vote
60yea (40 nay)
House final vote
222yea (209 nay)
House party split (final)
216R yeas; 6 D yeas
House rule vote
213yea (party‑line)
02 · Section

Key legislators / pivotal swing votes

Who mattered for the math and why.

  • Senate swing bloc: A small group of Democrats plus Sen. Angus King (I‑ME) supplied the decisive votes to reach 60 on cloture and passage after repeated failed attempts in October—unlocking the path for final action. [2]U.S. Senate — U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote No. 617 (Cloture on H.R. 5371 as amend…[1]Congress.gov — Congressional Record Daily Digest (Senate passed H.R. 5371 by 60…
  • House crossovers: Six Democrats voted “yes” on final passage—Reps. Jared Golden (ME), Adam Gray (CA), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA), Don Davis (NC), Tom Suozzi (NY), and Henry Cuellar (TX). Several framed their votes as ending constituent harm despite objections over ACA subsidies. [13]Washington Post — How every House member voted on the bill to reopen the govern…[14]Web search · turn 8 #4
  • House defections: Two Republicans (e.g., Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Greg Steube) voted “no,” but were offset by Democratic crossovers. [13]Washington Post — How every House member voted on the bill to reopen the govern…
  • Rule control: H.Res. 873 (the special rule) passed on a party‑line vote, reflecting tight majority control by Speaker Mike Johnson and the Rules/Appropriations teams. [8]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Roll Call 28…[6]Congress.gov — Text of H.Res. 873 (rule for Senate amendment to H.R. 5371)
03 · Section

Leadership influence and procedural dynamics

Leaders set the table; Appropriations wrote the menu.

  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune controlled the floor strategy, filing/cloturing repeatedly and ultimately advancing the Collins substitute, which passed 60–40 and carried the bill. [15]Office of Sen. John Thune — Thune press release: First remarks as Senate Majori…[16]Web search · turn 3 #2
  • Speaker Mike Johnson held a narrow House GOP majority and moved the bill under a closed rule; the rule and previous question were party‑line, then he secured enough crossover Democrats on final passage. [8]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Roll Call 28…[3]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Member Votes…
  • Appropriations Chairs: Sen. Susan Collins (Chair, Senate Appropriations) and Rep. Tom Cole (Chair, House Appropriations) brokered the bicameral deal combining a short CR with three full‑year bills (Ag/Leg Branch/MilCon‑VA). [17]Senate Appropriations Committee — Senate Appropriations: Collins becomes Chair…[18]House Appropriations Committee (Republicans) — House Appropriations: Tom Cole s…
  • Institutional context: Republicans held unified control (President Trump; Senate & House majorities), but Senate rules still imposed the 60‑vote hurdle—driving leadership to craft a package swing votes could accept. [5]Wikipedia — 119th United States Congress (leadership summary)
  • House process note: The rule (H.Res. 873) provided one hour of debate and a motion to concur in the Senate amendment—classic "take‑it‑or‑leave‑it" posture to minimize amendment risk. [6]Congress.gov — Text of H.Res. 873 (rule for Senate amendment to H.R. 5371)
04 · Section

Assessment: likelihood of passage (ex‑ante) and result

Operative read as votes were queued, with confidence levels.

  • Senate (pre‑vote): Likely passage once leadership locked a Collins substitute acceptable to a small Dem/independent bloc. Expected 60–61 yeas; confidence: moderate. Actual: 60–40. [1]Congress.gov — Congressional Record Daily Digest (Senate passed H.R. 5371 by 60…
  • House (pre‑vote): High likelihood under a closed rule, with a whip target of 215–220 GOP yeas and an expected 4–8 Democratic crossovers to offset 1–3 GOP noes. Actual: 222–209 (Rs 216 yeas / 2 nays; Ds 6 yeas). Confidence: high. [4]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Roll Call 28…
  • Policy trade: Package ended the shutdown, funded Ag/Leg Branch/MilCon‑VA for FY26, guaranteed back pay, and imposed an RIF freeze; leaving ACA premium subsidies for a separate fight kept most Democrats opposed but gave swing members cover to vote yes to reopen government. [11]Congress.gov — H.R.5371 – Congress.gov overview page (119th Congress)[7]Washington Post — How every senator voted on the bill to reopen the government
05 · Section

Sourcing (select)

Primary vote records and institutional statements.

  • Congress.gov bill page, summary, and Daily Digest noting Senate 60–40 passage and overall structure of the package. [11]Congress.gov — H.R.5371 – Congress.gov overview page (119th Congress)[19]Web search · turn 0 #2[1]Congress.gov — Congressional Record Daily Digest (Senate passed H.R. 5371 by 60…
  • U.S. Senate roll‑call (No. 617) showing cloture 60–40 on the amended bill; Senate Dems’ wrap‑up lists cloture/adoption and final passage at 60–40. [2]U.S. Senate — U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote No. 617 (Cloture on H.R. 5371 as amend…[16]Web search · turn 3 #2
  • House Clerk roll‑calls: rule (H.Res. 873) 213–209 party‑line; final concur 222–209 with party split (Rs 216–2; Ds 6–207). [8]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Roll Call 28…[4]Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — House Clerk – Roll Call 28…
  • Post‑vote attribution of House crossovers and GOP defections. [13]Washington Post — How every House member voted on the bill to reopen the govern…
  • Leadership/committee confirmation: Thune as Senate Majority Leader; Collins and Cole as Appropriations chairs. [15]Office of Sen. John Thune — Thune press release: First remarks as Senate Majori…[17]Senate Appropriations Committee — Senate Appropriations: Collins becomes Chair…[18]House Appropriations Committee (Republicans) — House Appropriations: Tom Cole s…
  • External pressure: U.S. Chamber coalition letter; NATCA call for a clean CR. [9]U.S. Chamber of Commerce — U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Coalition letter urging Co…[10]Politico — NATCA backs clean CR to end shutdown
  • White House confirmation of signing (Public Law 119‑37). [20]WhiteHouse.gov — White House video: President signs Senate amendment to H.R. 53…
Sources cited
  1. [1] Congressional Record Daily Digest (Senate passed H.R. 5371 by 60–40) – Nov. 10, 2025 Congress.gov
  2. [2] U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote No. 617 (Cloture on H.R. 5371 as amended) U.S. Senate
  3. [3] House Clerk – Member Votes page for Nov. 12, 2025 (rolls 283–285) Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
  4. [4] House Clerk – Roll Call 285 details (party split; 222–209) Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
  5. [5] 119th United States Congress (leadership summary) Wikipedia
  6. [6] Text of H.Res. 873 (rule for Senate amendment to H.R. 5371) Congress.gov
  7. [7] How every senator voted on the bill to reopen the government Washington Post
  8. [8] House Clerk – Roll Call 284 (rule on consideration of Senate amendment) Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
  9. [9] U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Coalition letter urging Congress to reopen government U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  10. [10] NATCA backs clean CR to end shutdown Politico
  11. [11] H.R.5371 – Congress.gov overview page (119th Congress) Congress.gov
  12. [12] Web search · turn 7 #3
  13. [13] How every House member voted on the bill to reopen the government Washington Post
  14. [14] Web search · turn 8 #4
  15. [15] Thune press release: First remarks as Senate Majority Leader Office of Sen. John Thune
  16. [16] Web search · turn 3 #2
  17. [17] Senate Appropriations: Collins becomes Chair (news release) Senate Appropriations Committee
  18. [18] House Appropriations: Tom Cole sworn in as Chair (press release) House Appropriations Committee (Republicans)
  19. [19] Web search · turn 0 #2
  20. [20] White House video: President signs Senate amendment to H.R. 5371 WhiteHouse.gov

Discussion