I am committed to working with my colleagues to reopen the government swiftly.
Work with colleagues to pass a bipartisan solution and reopen the federal government swiftly.
Occurrences
Evidence
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Congress.gov records H.R.5371 as introduced on 2025-09-16, passed by the House 217-212 on 2025-09-19, failing in the Senate on 2025-09-19 and 2025-09-30, passing the Senate 60-40 on 2025-11-10, passing the House again 222-209 on 2025-11-12, and becoming Public Law 119-37 on 2025-11-12.
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Roll Call Vote 285 lists the vote question as concurring in the Senate amendment to H.R.5371. The result was passed 222-209, with Democrats voting 6 yea and 207 nay. Bell, Wesley [D-MO] is listed as Nay.
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Roll Call Vote 281 shows H.R.5371 passed the House 217-212 on 2025-09-19. The Democratic tally was 1 yea and 210 nay, and Bell, Wesley [D-MO] is listed as Nay.
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The enrolled text cites the act as the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026. It includes a Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026 division and states that the time covered by divisions A through D is considered to have begun on October 1, 2025.
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The Washington Post reported that the House voted 222-209 to end the record-long shutdown, with six Democrats joining Republicans. It identified the six Democratic supporters as Golden, Gray, Gluesenkamp Perez, Davis, Suozzi, and Cuellar, and said the bipartisan compromise combined three full-year funding measures with a stopgap through January 30.
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Roll Call Vote 70 shows H.R.1968 passed the House 217-213 on 2025-03-11. The Democratic tally was 1 yea and 212 nay, and Bell, Wesley [D-MO] is listed as Nay.
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Bell announced that he introduced the FEMA Operations Continuity Act of 2025 to let FEMA continue disaster relief, recovery, and mitigation assistance during a lapse in appropriations. The release describes a shutdown-mitigation bill, not a bill to reopen the full federal government, and does not identify bipartisan support.
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Congressional bill information for H.R.5794 shows Bell as sponsor, introduction on October 21, 2025, and latest action as referral to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management on December 1, 2025. The bill had not passed either chamber or become law.
Assessments
Bell promised to work with colleagues to pass a bipartisan solution and reopen the federal government swiftly. The government was ultimately reopened by H.R.5371 on November 12, 2025, after a prolonged shutdown, but Bell voted against both the initial House passage and the final Senate-amended reopening bill. His own shutdown-related FEMA continuity bill did not pass and did not itself reopen the government. The evidence therefore does not show that Bell delivered the promised bipartisan reopening solution.
The federal government was reopened in the same congressional term through H.R.5371, but Bell did not help pass the bipartisan reopening measure. He voted Nay on both the initial House continuing resolution and the final Senate-amended bill that became law, and the shutdown lasted more than six weeks rather than being reopened swiftly. The available evidence shows no serious alternative legislative or executive effort by Bell that materially advanced the promised outcome.