WASHINGTON — There are many hours left until midnight government shutdownThe House approved the novel plan delayed Friday from the Speaker Mike Johnson who would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster relief, but steps down as President-elect Donald Trump demands to raise the debt limit in the novel year.
Johnson urged Congress to “fulfill our obligations” and not allow federal operations to shut down before the Christmas holiday season. But the outcome that day was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling the raise should be included in any contract — if not, he said in this morning’s post, let the closings “begin now.”
The bill was approved by a 366-34 vote and now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass quickly.
“We will not have a government shutdown,” Johnson said before the vote.
It was the third attempt by Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government – keeping it open. There was also a stern question about whether Johnson would be able to keep his job in the face of furious GOP colleagues and work with Trump and the billionaire ally Elon Muskwho this time convened legislative plays.
Trump’s last-minute request was almost impossible and Johnson had no choice but to bypass his pressure to raise the debt ceiling. The speaker knew that the GOP majority would not have enough support to pass any funding package because many Republicans prefer cuts to the federal government and certainly would not allow more debt.
Instead, Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, the House and the Senate next year, with gigantic tax cut plans and other priorities, are showing that they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.
“So is this a Republican or Democratic bill?” – ridiculed Musk on social media before the vote.
The novel 118-page package would keep the government funded at current levels through March and add $100 billion for disaster relief and $10 billion in agricultural aid for farmers.
Gone is Trump’s demand to raise the debt ceiling, which GOP leaders told lawmakers would be up for debate as part of their tax and border packages in the novel year. Republicans then struck a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit while cutting spending by $2.5 trillion over 10 years.
It’s essentially the same deal that fizzled the night before and failed spectacularly — opposed by most Democrats and some of the most conservative Republicans — minus Trump’s demand for a debt ceiling.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has been in touch with Johnson, but Democrats balked at the latest effort after the GOP speaker walked away from the original bipartisan compromise.
“Welcome back to the MAGA swamp,” Jeffries wrote.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said it appeared Musk, an unelected official and the richest man in the world, was dictating terms to Trump and Republicans.
“Who’s in charge here?” – she asked during the debate.
Still, a majority of Democrats approved the bill’s passage.
Trump, who has not yet been sworn in, is showing power but also the limits of his influence in Congress by intervening and coordinating with Mar-a-Lago along with Muskwho heads the novel administration’s novel Department of Government Effectiveness.
“If there’s going to be a government shutdown, let it start now,” Trump wrote on social media early this morning.
Trump isn’t concerned about government shutdowns the way Johnson and lawmakers view federal shutdowns as political losers that hurt Americans’ livelihoods. The incoming Trump administration vows to do just that cut the federal budget and lay off thousands of workers. Trump himself caused the so-called the longest government shutdown in history during his first term in the White House – month-long closures over the Christmas and New Year holidays in 2018-2019.
More critical to the president-elect was his push demand the sensitive debt ceiling debate from the table before returning to the White House. The federal debt limit expires on January 1, and Trump does not want the first months of his novel administration to be burdened with tough negotiations in Congress on raising the country’s creditworthiness. It gives Democrats, who will be in the minority next year, an advantage.
“Congress must get rid of the absurd debt ceiling or extend it perhaps until 2029.” – Trump wrote, increasing his demand for an raise in the debt limit for five years now. “We should never have reached an agreement without it.”
Johnson initially tried to satisfy Trump’s demands, but ultimately had to work around them.
Trump and Musk unleashed their opposition – and the social media army – on the original plan presented by Johnson, which was a 1,500-page bipartisan compromise he reached with Democrats that included disaster aid for the hardest-hit countries but did not address the situation regarding debt ceiling.
The second Trump-backed plan, Thursday’s slimmed-down, 116-page bill with a preferred two-year debt ceiling raise through 2027, was a monumental failure and was rejected by most Democrats as a frivolous effort, but also by conservative Republicans who refuse to put on red. ink of the nation.
On Friday morning, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and Trump’s pick for the novel director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, arrived early at the Speaker’s office on Capitol Hill, where a group of supporters of the hardline House Freedom Caucus had gathered. meeting with Johnson.
Later, during a lunch meeting of House Republicans in the basement of the Capitol, Johnson asked for a show of hands while determining a path forward, said Rep. Ralph Norman, a Republican.
Government workers have already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown that would send millions of workers – and military members – into the holiday season without paychecks.
President Joe Biden has played a less public role in the debate in his final weeks in office, drawing criticism from Trump and Republicans who are trying to blame him for the shutdown.
Biden has held talks with Schumer and Jeffries, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.
But she said: “Republicans screwed up this deal. This is what happened and they need to fix it.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the original agreement “the quickest, simplest and easiest way we can ensure the government remains open, delivering critical emergency assistance to the American people.”
The speaker’s choice is the first vote of the new Congress, which convenes on Jan. 3, and Johnson will need the support of almost every House Republican in his slim majority to ensure he holds the gavel. Democrats will vote for Jeffries.
When the speaker appeared in Washington, his danger became apparent. Late Thursday at the conservative AmericaFest conference at Turning Point in the US, Trump ally Steve Bannon galvanized thousands of activists with a devastating takedown of the Louisiana Republican.
“Without a doubt, Johnson was not up to the challenge. He has to go,” Bannon said, drawing cheers. He smiled and nodded at the answer and added, “President Trump? These are your people.
