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, a Democrat from Ohio, was the only member of the party to vote in favor of the bill, with two 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 vote leaves Congress without a clear plan to prevent an impending government shutdown, increasing the likelihood of a funding lapse right before the holidays.
Trump endorsed the new bill, which was drafted by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Republican leaders. However, Democratic leaders quickly opposed it, as they had not approved it before it was released. 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 yelling, “Hell no!” inside 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.
The government will continue to be funded through March 14 thanks to the 116-page bill that was released Thursday, preventing a shutdown that was scheduled to start at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Additionally, it would respond to a crucial, last-minute request from Trump by extending the country’s debt ceiling through January 30, 2027.
Among many other designations, the trimmed-down package contains millions of dollars in disaster relief funds for environmental cleanup and construction initiatives in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Along with financing for the farming industry, such as millions for conservation initiatives, a watershed protection program, and disaster aid for rural development, the bill also extends 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 site that would be utilized for the Washington Commanders NFL franchise, are missing. The health care measures to update the regulations pertaining to pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, that were agreed upon in the previous agreement are likewise not included in the legislation.
In a post on TruthSocial, Trump praised the deal, calling it a success and urged both Republicans and Democrats to vote yes.
Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People. The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes, Trump wrote.
Two Democrats, Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., voted with most Republicans in favor of the bill Thursday night.
The latest GOP proposal was released less than 36 hours before a deadline to fund the government or allow a shutdown that would shutter vast swaths of the federal government and furlough thousands of workers.
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 interview that he will spearhead the push to remove the debt ceiling, which some Democrats have been calling for years.
Jeffries had previously said that any debate over extending or eliminating the debt ceiling at this point is premature at best.
Among those who criticized Johnson and Republicans for breaking the bipartisan funding agreement that had been finalized just days prior was Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the former chair of the Appropriations Committee and now the panel’s top Democrat.
She stated that, with President Musk’s exception, a good arrangement was in place and things were proceeding.
DeLauro responded, “It seems to me that the tech billionaire is making decisions for Republicans.”
(Trump claimed to be in agreement with the president-elect on the matter and told NBC News Thursday that Musk had only released a slew of remarks aimed at destroying the bipartisan agreement after speaking with him.)
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. We have to negotiate, Lawler told MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell before Thursday s agreement was announced. 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.
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