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. On Saturday, a shutdown is scheduled to start at 12:01 a.m.
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.
It’s a good thing the bill failed in the House, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., whose chamber still needs to pass whatever can clear the House and reach President Joe Biden’s desk before the shutdown deadline, Thursday night. 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 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.
Trump called the agreement a success and urged both Democrats and Republicans to vote in favor of it in a post on TruthSocial.
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, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., and Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., 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 interview that he will spearhead the push to remove the debt ceiling, which some Democrats have been calling for years.
According to Jeffries, any discussion about raising or lowering the debt ceiling at this time is, at best, premature.
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. 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.
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