The bill was Eric Cantor's brainchild
So this is what counts for legislative leadership in Washington, D.C.: House Republicans today passed the exact same funding bill that they passed in February. You know, the funding bill that the Senate has already voted down.
The only difference? This time they called it the "Government Shutdown Prevention Act." But when you repass the exact same thing that has already failed, you're not actually preventing the shutdown of anything. You're just whistling in the wind.
Doubling down on symbolism won't move us forward. The only thing that will prevent a government shutdown is for Republicans to sit down and negotiate with Democrats so that both sides can reach a compromise. Fortunately, despite today's silly vote, it continues to appear that such a compromise is in the works.
Although John Boehner says that no agreement has been reached, there does appear to be a framework in place.
Earlier today, President Obama said that it "appears that we're getting close to an agreement," adding that failure to finalize a deal would "jeopardize our economic recovery." Note that his words are consistent with what Boehner said—there is not yet a final deal.
It's also worth noting that Senate Republicans are growing tired of the posturing and want to see a deal get done. Moreover, while Boehner is critical of Democrats, he's not actively encouraging his tea party caucus to shut down the government. In fact, he's telling them that there are limits to what the House can achieve—that the House cannot force its will on the Senate. He's also warning that a shutdown would ultimately cost more money than it would save, a clear signal to tea party types to avoid drawing lines in the sand.
Ultimately, I'd bet that Boehner will need some Democratic votes to get the final deal through the House, but those votes will be there. The only way this can spin out of control is if he decides that he won't agree to a deal unless at least 218 Republicans sign onto it. It's always possible he'll go down that path, but he's not sending any signals that he intends to go there.