WASHINGTON — The president-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to avert a government shutdown over Christmas, instead notifying the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate – just days before the deadline federal funds will run out.
Trump sudden entry into the discussion and the new demands have sent Congress spiraling as lawmakers try to finish work and go home for the holidays. As a result, Johnson wandered behind schedule into the night on Capitol Hill, trying to come up with a new plan before Friday’s deadline to keep the government open.
“Republicans Must BECOME SMART AND TOUGH” – Trump and Vice President-Elect JD Vance – wrote in the statement.
The president-elect has put forward an almost unrealistic proposal that combines some continuation of government funding with a much more controversial provision for increases state debt limit — something his own party routinely rejects. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” they wrote.
Democrats condemned GOP rebellion regarding interim measurewhich would also provide approximately $100.4 billion in disaster assistance to hurricane-affected states Helena AND Milton and other natural disasters.
“House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt ordinary Americans across the country,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Jeffries said that “an agreement is an agreement” and by withdrawing from it, “Republicans in the House of Representatives “will now be responsible for any harm done to the American people.”
Already massive Bill of 1,500 pages was on the verge of collapse as far-right conservatives rejected increased spending. They were encouraged by an ally of billionaire Trump Elon Muskwho rejected the plan almost immediately after its release.
Rank-and-file lawmakers complained about the stats, which included the first raise in more than a decade – a shock after one of the most unproductive and messy sessions in contemporary times.
Even adding much-needed disaster aid, about $100.4 billion in the wake of hurricanes and other natural disasters that have hit states this year, plus $10 billion in economic aid for farmers, fell compact. GOP that cuts the budget. Many Republicans were waiting for Trump to signal whether they should vote yes or no.
“This shouldn’t go through,” Musk wrote on his social media site X in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
One lawmaker said office phone lines were being inundated with calls from constituents
“My phone started ringing,” said Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky. “The people who elected us listen to Elon Musk.”
The result is no surprise to Johnson, who, as other Republican House speakers before him, he was unable to persuade his majority to agree to the routine needs of federal government operations that they I’d rather cut.
He met behind closed doors on Capitol Hill behind schedule at night with GOP lawmakers to try to find a way out. Vance joined them until almost 10 p.m., taking his son with him in his pajamas.
“We had a productive conversation,” Vance said as he and his son left the speaker’s office, deflecting repeated questions about details.
“We are in negotiations, but I think we will be able to resolve some issues here.”
All of this shows how tough it will be for Republicans next year, when they take control of the House, Senate and White House, to unite and lead the nation. And he emphasizes how much Johnson and GOP leaders must rely on Trump’s blessing for any legislative package to reach the finish line.
Musk, who leads the new Trump Department of Government Effectivenesswarned: “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous budget bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
This is not an idle threat from Musk, the richest man in the world, that helped finance Trump’s victory and can easily employ his America PAC to make or break political careers.
Democratic Republic Jamie Raskin from Maryland said that this is the problem with “oligarchy – a few rich people run everything and everyone should live in fear of them.”
Senators from both parties watched in dismay from across the Capitol.
“Will this be the norm? Is this how we will operate?” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, placing the blame on Johnson.
Democrats, who negotiated the final product with Johnson and GOP Senate leaders, are expected to provide enough support to ensure passage of the bill, as is often the case with huge, bipartisan bills.
“Republicans need to stop playing politics,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
But Trump’s new debt ceiling demands pose a daunting test for Johnson, who has worked strenuous to stay close to the president-elect – even texting Musk and DOGE co-chairman Vivek Ramaswamy – only to turn on his tough president . battle plan.
Trump later wrote that he was pushing for the debt ceiling to be raised: “I will fight ’til the end.”
The national debt limit expires in 2025 and Trump doesn’t seem to want to discuss the issue before he returns to the White House, which is a sensible idea, but usually tough to negotiate.
The last House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, worked for months with President Joe Biden to raise the debt limit. Although concluded a bilateral agreement that cut spending in exchange for additional borrowing capacity, House Republicans said it didn’t go far enough and that’s how it ended costing McCarthy his job.
Trump now expects Johnson to approve a debt ceiling extension about 48 hours before the partial government shutdown.
Meanwhile, the bipartisan package that Trump rejected extended existing government programs and services at current operating levels for several more months, through March 14, 2025.
The interim solution is needed because Congress has not passed annual appropriations bills to fund all the various agencies of the federal government, from the Pentagon to health care, social services, transportation and other routine home services.
But the inches-thick bill goes beyond routine funding and includes several other measures, including federal funds to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which he fell in the event of being hit by a cargo ship. Another provision would be the transfer of land, i.e site of the ancient RFK stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia, which could potentially lead to a new stadium for the NFL’s Washington Commanders.
Libertine. Anna Paulina LunaR-Fla., basically called it a garbage sandwich, using an expletive.
And then there’s a raise.
According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, the bill would exempt the salary freeze provision, which could allow for a maximum adjustment of 3.8%, or $6,600, in 2025, raising lawmakers’ annual pay to $180,600. Members of Congress last received a raise in 2009.
