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The House voted Wednesday to advance a resolution honoring slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, clearing the way for floor debate later this week.
Lawmakers voted in favor of advancing the measure and a bill to avert a government shutdown in a joint mechanism known as a "rule vote."
The rule was adopted in a 216 to 210 vote along party lines. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is known to be opposing the federal funding bill, was the lone lawmaker from either side to vote "present."
Rule votes are procedural hurdles that commonly tie together unrelated pieces of legislation that, if adopted, allows House lawmakers to debate each measure individually before respective votes.
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The current rule's adoption means House lawmakers could vote on the resolution to honor Kirk on either Thursday or Friday.
A vote on the measure to avert a government shutdown – a short-term extension of current federal funding levels called a continuing resolution, or CR – is expected Friday morning.
It is not surprising that no Democrats supported the rule's adoption on Wednesday; rule votes traditionally fall along party lines and have rarely seen bipartisan crossover, even if the legislation they include has wide support from both Republicans and Democrats.
And while Democrats are largely expected to buck the GOP-led government funding patch, the resolution to honor Kirk's legacy is expected to get healthy bipartisan support.
The Turning Point USA founder was assassinated last week during a college campus speaking event in Utah.
The resolution to honor him, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., lauded Kirk as "one of the most prominent voices in America, engaging in respectful, civil discourse across college campuses, media platforms and national forums, always seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding and strengthen the Republic."
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It also said Kirk's "commitment to civil discussion and debate stood as a model for young Americans across the political spectrum, and he worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction," and it called his killing "a sobering reminder of the growing threat posed by political extremism and hatred in our society."
Both Democrats and Republicans have released statements condemning political violence in the wake of Kirk's killing.
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The latter measure that advanced on Wednesday evening, the CR, will keep government agencies funded at current levels through Nov. 21 of this year – if it's passed by the House and Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
That bill includes a combined $88 million in added security funds for Congress, the judicial branch and the executive branch.
Conversations about boosting lawmaker security, in particular, had been ongoing but took on new urgency after Kirk's death.
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