Washington After Republican leaders broke a previous bipartisan agreement and made changes to placate President-elect Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, and an internal GOP uprising, the House rejected a package Thursday to temporarily keep the government funded.
With one Democrat present, the vote was 174-235, just short of the two-thirds majority required to advance it through a fast-track process. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, was the only Democrat to vote in favor of the bill, with the other Democrats voting against it. Conservatives argued that the bill did not significantly cut federal spending, and 38 Republicans also voted against it.
With less than 30 hours before the deadline, the defeated legislation leaves Congress without a clear plan to prevent an impending government shutdown, increasing the likelihood of a funding lapse right before the holidays. On Saturday, a shutdown is planned to start at 12:01 a.m. ET.
As he departed the Capitol on Thursday evening, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., responded to reporters’ questions about whether a new financing package would be unveiled on Friday by saying, “We’ll see.”
Trump endorsed the unsuccessful bill that Johnson and other Republican leaders drafted, but Democratic leaders quickly opposed it since they hadn’t signed off on it before it was made public. During a private meeting of Democrats prior to the vote, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., referred to the idea as absurd.
Before the vote, House Democrats were heard chanting, “Hell no!” at a private meeting. Absolutely not!
Prior to the vote, Jeffries declared on the House floor that his party would not support the bill. We’re going to keep fighting for regular Americans. In order to prevent this rash, regressive, and reactionary Republican shutdown, that is the reason we are voting against this bill,” he stated.
An invitation obtained by NBC News indicates that House Democrats will meet Friday morning to discuss government funding.
Johnson made no mention of the House’s next course of action following the vote. Rather, he attempted to blame the vote total on Democrats. In a similar vein, both Musk and the Trump transition team blamed Democrats.
It’s a good thing the bill failed in the House, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Thursday night. His chamber still needs to pass whatever can clear the House and reach President Joe Biden’s desk before the shutdown deadline. It’s time to return to the bipartisan accord that we reached.
The government would have been financed through March 14 under the 116-page law that was released Thursday. Additionally, it would have responded to a crucial, last-minute request from Trump by extending the nation’s debt ceiling through January 30, 2027.
Among many other designations, the trimmed-down package included millions of dollars in disaster relief funds for environmental cleanup and construction initiatives in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Along with aid for the farming industry, including millions of dollars for conservation initiatives, a watershed protection program, and catastrophe assistance for rural development, it also featured an extension of the farm bill.
Provisions that had angered Trump and his right-wing supporters, such as raising lawmakers’ cost of living and granting Washington, D.C., authority over a stadium location that may be utilized by the Washington Commanders NFL franchise, were not included. Additionally, the measure did not include health care provisions to update the prior agreement’s laws regarding pharmaceutical benefit managers, or PBMs.
On Truth Social, Trump hailed the agreement as a victory and asked Democrats and Republicans to support it.
The House and Speaker Mike Johnson have reached a very favorable agreement for the American people. According to Trump, the recently approved American Relief Act of 2024 would support our Great Farmers and others, keep the government operating, and help individuals who have been badly affected by the destructive hurricanes.
Along with the majority of Republicans, two Democrats, Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington and Kathy Castor of Florida, voted in favor of the bill Thursday evening.
Less than 36 hours before a deadline to either finance the government or permit a shutdown that would shut down large portions of the federal government and put thousands of workers on furlough, the most recent GOP proposal was made public.
Johnson and his administration have come under fire from Democratic leaders for breaking the terms of the last bipartisan agreement he approved. According to some, it makes the Republican leadership in the House less credible in any upcoming talks.
When Trump criticized the bipartisan funding agreement Johnson had secured on Wednesday night, he unpredictably threw a wrench in the funding talks. Additionally, months before a deadline to avoid an economically disastrous default next year, he made a last-minute demand with less than two days left before a shutdown deadline, threatening to take action against Republicans unless they included a clause to increase the debt ceiling.
Trump went one step farther on Thursday morning, telling NBC News that Congress must completely eliminate the debt ceiling. Trump stated in a phone conversation that he will spearhead the push to remove the debt ceiling, which some Democrats have sought to do for years.
According to Jeffries, any discussion about raising or lowering the debt ceiling at this time is, at best, premature.
Reportedly, Republicans are “looking at some other options on all the things that we’ve been discussing.” Scalise responded to a reporter’s question Thursday night about whether they will try again on Friday to approve a bill that suspends the debt ceiling.
Among those who criticized Johnson and Republicans for breaking the bipartisan financial agreement that had been finalized just days prior was Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the former head of the Appropriations Committee and current top Democrat on the panel.
According to her, a nice arrangement was in place and things were going forward, but not for President Musk.
When asked if Musk was making decisions for Republicans, DeLauro said, “It seems like it to me!”
(Trump told NBC News on Thursday that Musk and he are on the same page and that Musk had only released a series of statements aimed at destroying the bipartisan compromise after they had discussed it.)
On MSNBC, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who recently won reelection in a swing district, stated that Republicans require Democratic backing for a measure and that it is obvious that Donald Trump is in control.
This is a fairly straightforward reality. Before Thursday’s accord was revealed, Lawler told MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell, “We have to negotiate.” I’ll remind everyone that our government is divided. Nonetheless, a bipartisan negotiation will be necessary because Democrats hold both the Senate and the White House.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!