Freedom Caucus leader backs Senate deal to end government shutdown, with one exception

Exclusive: The leader of the House’s most conservative group tentatively gave his blessing to the bipartisan agreement in the Senate to end the government shutdown.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital he was leaning in favor of supporting the legislation, though he added he was still reviewing its final details.

“As it stands, I would probably vote yes,” Harris said.

He added that the “only caveat” was a push by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to repeal a measure in the bill that would suppress the sale of certain “intoxicating cannabis substances.”

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“If this provision is removed, I cannot support the bill,” Harris said. “We must close the 2018 Farm Bill loophole that allows the sale of hemp-derived products with intoxicating THC levels. In many states, they are even being sold to children. We must reverse this.”

The Senate broke the weeks-long government funding impasse on Sunday evening. Eight Democrats joined all Republicans, except Paul, to overcome a filibuster on the updated spending bill.

It’s possible the Senate could reach a unanimous agreement to move quickly on the legislation, but all eyes are on Paul to see if he will delay the process in protest of the cannabis provision.

However, overall, Harris said the legislative package “looks pretty favorable” from what he’s seen so far — noting that the rest of the right-wing House GOP caucus likely feels the same way.

“We’re still unpacking the whole package, but with an exception [reversal of federal layoffs]“I think members are very supportive … of the rest of the package,” Harris said.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen speaks at a press conference with other Senate Democrats who voted to restore government funding in Washington, November 9, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Terms of the deal include a new extension of fiscal year 2025 federal funding levels through Jan. 30 in order to give congressional negotiators more time to reach a long-term agreement on fiscal year 2026 spending.

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It would also give lawmakers some headway on that mission, strengthening legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Department of Veterans Affairs and Military Construction; And the legislative authority.

They are three of the 12 individual bills that are supposed to make up congress’s annual appropriations, combined with a vehicle called a “minibus.”

In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs implemented by the Trump administration in October, with those workers receiving pay for the time they were out of work.

It also ensures Senate Democrats will vote on legislation extending Obamacare subsidies that were boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Extending enhanced support for Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), has been a key demand of Democrats in the weeks-long standoff.

The House Freedom Caucus speaks about negotiations on the “one, big, beautiful bill” at the US Capitol in Washington, May 21, 2025. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)

However, no such guarantee was offered in the House, so Democrats effectively backed away from their main demand for an end to the shutdown — a move that angered progressives in Congress.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, has said publicly and privately that he would not promise Democrats a vote on enhanced Obamacare subsidies in the House in exchange for their support.

Harris told Fox News Digital that he does not believe such a vote would be approved by the House or Senate.

“I think there is no way for COVID-era extensions to pass either chamber,” he said, referring to “clear and direct extensions” specifically.