Majority of Republicans vote for government funding bill. Tim Burchett is not one of them

The U.S. House on Feb. 29 overwhelmingly passed a stopgap measure for a fourth time to avoid a government shutdown, with the majority of Republicans voting for the temporary agreement. U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett was not one of them.

This is the fourth time Burchett has voted against bipartisan plans to keep the government funded. He sees stopgap measures as kicking the financial can down the road instead of passing actual complete budgets.

"Unless we completely close our southern border, I'm not interested in moving forward with more short-term funding," he said in a statement. "We need to pass a budget like the state of Tennessee and the rest of America does."

The short-term bicameral agreement would fund parts of the government through March 8 and the remainder until March 22. The previous funding deadlines they failed to meet were March 1 and March 8.

Now that it's through the House, it's expected to easily clear the Senate, where Democratic and Republican leaders have been united in averting a partial government shutdown.

The short-term measure is paired with a deal on six of the 12 spending bills lawmakers need to pass to fund the government's work. The goal is to pass those six bills in the next week, by March 8, and then hash out a long-term agreement for the rest of government's functions by the new March 22 deadline.

It was supported by 113 Republicans. U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, who represents the easternmost Tennessee district, voted against the bill as well.

Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, who represents Hamilton County and counties adjacent to Knox, voted in favor of the bill and urged his colleagues to join him.

“I want the American people to know, Mr. Speaker, that this negotiation has been difficult, but to close the government down at a time like this would hurt people who should not be hurt,” Fleischmann said on the House floor.

The path forward to long-term government funding is unclear. A series of continuing resolutions have been put in place since the original deadline of Sept. 30, highlighting the brinkmanship among the nation's leaders.

A government shutdown means all officials and federal agencies that aren't deemed “essential” have to stop their work and close their doors. When the government does shut down, thousands of federal employees are furloughed.

"Essential" federal workers, which range from air traffic controllers to emergency personnel in national parks, work without pay during a shutdown, but they receive back pay once a shutdown ends. Some subcontractors for the government could be out of work and would not receive back pay.

A shutdown can have significant effects on Americans who don't work for the federal government. For example, some food assistance benefits can be delayed, and certain food safety inspections can be put on pause and national parks would close.

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tim Burchett once again votes down plan to keep government open