House Republicans tried Thursday night to fast-track a measure to keep the government funded through a maneuver that required a two-thirds majority, but failed, pushing the government closer to a shutdown. .
House Republican leaders could bring the bill through the normal channels by sending it through a committee, which would give it another chance to pass with a simple majority. But dozens of Republicans voted against the bill, while only two Democrats voted for it. The final tally was 174 in favor, 235 against, and 1 in favor.
Lawmakers are scrambling to avert a funding-draining government shutdown Friday night. The bill would continue government funding until mid-March and suspend the national debt ceiling for two years, but must be approved by the Democratic-controlled Senate. The White House has indicated that President Biden will not sign the bill.
“We have a vote scheduled this morning, so stay tuned. We have a plan,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters at the Capitol early Friday.
The new deal extends government funding by three months, suspends the debt ceiling until January 2027 and provides $110 billion in disaster relief. It also includes funding for health care extensions and rebuilding Baltimore. francis scott key bridge and a one-year Farm Bill renewal.
The House of Representatives was in chaos Wednesday. republican revolt The initial agreement reached by House Speaker Mike Johnson with Democrats has sunk due to push by President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Republicans flocked to the Capitol on Thursday to seek a new path forward without input from Democrats.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended the new bill Thursday night, saying it still contains bipartisan measures.
“The only change in this bill is to extend the debt ceiling until January 30, 2027,” said Johnson, R-Louisiana.
The new version is much slimmer at 116 pages compared to 1,547 pages in the original continuous resolution. President Trump immediately praised the deal after it was announced, calling it a “success” and a “very good deal.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called the proposal “not serious” and “ridiculous.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, praised the failed vote and said, “Now is the time to return to bipartisan agreement.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Thursday night that Biden “supports a bipartisan agreement to keep the government open, support communities recovering from disasters, and reduce costs.” “But this is not the kind of perk for billionaires that Republicans are proposing in Congress.” It’s the 11th hour. ”
President Trump and the debt ceiling
Amid growing Republican anger over the original continuing resolution, the president-elect called on Republicans to remove the additional spending and replace it with new elements. Eliminating the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling, which limits how much the government can borrow to pay its bills, has been delayed until the first quarter of next year, but President Trump has said he wants to force Biden not to approve raising the debt ceiling. Must do.
President Trump reiterated his position Thursday. Telephone conversation with CBS News’ Robert Costaand in an overnight post on his Truth Social app.
“First of all, the debt ceiling should be completely abolished,” Trump told Costa. “Secondly, a lot of the different things they thought they would receive (in the recently proposed spending deal) are now going to be 100% scrapped. And we’ll see what happens. Biden There will be shutdowns during the administration, but if they happen, it will happen under Biden, not during the Trump administration.”
Still, Trump said the conflict could be resolved “in many ways” and that’s a very good thing.
On “Truth Social,” President Trump said, “Congress must either repeal the ridiculous debt ceiling, or perhaps extend it until 2029. Otherwise, there should never be a deal.The pressure is on no matter who is president.” I hope you don’t forget that.”
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc (via Getty Images)
While removing most of the additional funding from the already broken deal is likely to satisfy many Republicans, Democrats spent the day criticizing Johnson for withdrawing from the deal. They argue that Republicans are to blame for the potential shutdown.
Jeffries said earlier Thursday that he was “determined to continue to stand in the best interests of the American people,” but House Republicans “were ordered to shut down the government” and the bipartisan agreement “detonated.” “I let him do it,” he accused.
“We are prepared to move forward with a bipartisan agreement that meets the needs of the American people at this time and that we believe was negotiated in good faith with House Republicans, along with Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans,” Jeffries said. “We are fighting for ordinary Americans who would be hurt by a reckless shutdown of the Republican Party.”
Jeffries said a government shutdown can be avoided “if House Republicans just do what’s right for the American people” by sticking to a bipartisan agreement. The minority leader outlined that he and the Speaker were maintaining “open lines of communication” to see if they could “resolve this issue.” Jeffries said the debt limit issue and discussion is “premature at best.”
Spending dispute threatens Johnson’s speaking gig
The original plan to keep the government funded, and the confusion surrounding it, also sparked fierce criticism, including from members of Mr Johnson’s own party. The full House is scheduled to vote on the speaker on January 3, when the new Congress convenes, but Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has already indicated he will not support the speaker.
President Trump has also indicated that his support for Johnson depends on the future direction of the Louisiana Republican Party. The president-elect told Fox News Digital on Thursday that if Johnson “acts decisively and tough” and removes “all the trappings that the Democrats have set up” in the spending package, “it’s easy for him to stay in the chair.” Ta. Asked by NBC News if he still had faith in Johnson, Trump said, “We’ll see.”
“What they did yesterday was unacceptable,” President Trump told NBC’s Garrett Haak. “It was unacceptable in many ways. It’s a Democratic trap.”
Conservatives are angry with Johnson for making large additions to the original spending bill and steering the negotiation process with little input from rank-and-file members. Missouri Republican Rep. Eric Burleson called it a “complete dumpster fire.”
A few Republicans suggested that support for Mr Johnson’s presidency in the new Congress was now in question. With such a close majority, it would only take a few people to defeat him. Mr. Massey, a Republican from Kentucky, said flatly on Wednesday that he would not support Mr. Johnson in the speaker race.
“I’m not voting for him,” Massey said. “This will solidify.”
In November, House Republicans endorsed Johnson for two more years as leader. In the final race for speaker with the inauguration of the new Congress in 2023, the slim Republican majority elected former Speaker Kevin McCarthy after 15 votes, but former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was elected after nine months due to issues such as the handling of government funds. He was expelled from his position.
Robert Costa, Kathryn Watson
contributed to this report.
