The House on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s new plan to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling after Democrats refused to accommodate his sudden demands and a quick fix cobbled together by Republican leaders.
In a hastily called evening vote punctuated by angry outbursts over a self-made crisis, lawmakers failed to reach the two-thirds threshold needed for passage – but House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared determined to try again before Friday’s midnight deadline.
“We’re going to do the right thing here,” Johnson said before the vote. But he could not even get a majority, the bill failed 174-235.
The result proved a major blow to Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk, who vehemently opposed Johnson’s bipartisan deal, which Republicans and Democrats had previously reached to avert a government shutdown during Christmas.
It provides a preview of the turmoil ahead when Trump returns to the White House with Republican control of the House and Senate. During his first term, Trump led Republicans through the longest government shutdown in history during the 2018 Christmas season and over the holidays by tanking a bipartisan COVID-relief bill and forcing a do-over. interrupted.
A few hours ago, Trump announced “Success in Washington!” The new package would give the government three more months to run, add USD 100.4 billion in disaster aid to hurricane-hit states and allow additional borrowing through January 30, 2027.
“Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good agreement,” Trump posted.
But Republicans, who spent 24 hours largely negotiating among themselves to come up with a new plan, ran into a wall of resistance from Democrats, who were in no rush to meet the demands of Trump — or his billionaire ally Musk.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats are sticking to the original deal with Johnson and called the new one “ridiculous.”
“It’s not a serious proposal,” Jeffrey said as he walked into his own closed-door meeting of Democrats. Inside, Democrats were chanting, “Hell, no!” Throughout the day, Johnson struggled to figure out how to meet Trump’s sudden demands — and keep his own job — while federal offices were told to prepare for Operation Shutter.
The new proposal whittled the 1,500-page bill down to 116 pages and dropped several add-ons — most notably, the first pay increase for lawmakers in more than a decade, which could allow for a 3.8-percent bump. It drew particular ire when Musk turned his social media army against the bill.
Trump said early Thursday that Johnson would “easily be the speaker” for the next Congress if he “takes decisive and strong action” with a new plan to raise the debt ceiling, a surprise request just before the Christmas holidays. A speaker in bondage.
And if not, the president-elect warned of trouble for Johnson and Republicans in Congress.
“Anyone who supports a bill that doesn’t take care of the Democrat quicksand, known as the debt ceiling, should be primed and resolved as quickly as possible,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
The tumultuous turn of events, as lawmakers prepared to head home for the holidays, sparked a familiar reminder of what it’s like in a Trump-run Washington.
For Johnson, who was facing his own challenges to remain speaker before the Jan. 3 House vote, Trump’s demands seriously undermined him, forcing him to renege on his promises to Democrats and work through the night to broker a new approach.
Trump aides also floated the far-reaching idea of giving Musk the speaker’s gavel, since the speaker does not need to be a member of Congress. Rep. Majority Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted that she was “open” to the idea.
Democrats were beside themselves, seeing it as a fitting coda after one of the most unproductive congressional sessions in modern times.
“Here we are again in chaos,” said House Democratic Whip Catherine Clarke, who detailed the harm a government shutdown would do to Americans. “And for what? Because, as Elon Musk, an elected official, said, “We’re not going to do this deal, and Donald Trump went along with it.'” The debate raged on the House floor as lawmakers blamed each other for the mess.
At one point, presiding over the debate, Rep. Mark Molinaro hit the speaker’s glass with such force that it broke. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Trump was publicly turning on his detractors.
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a staunch Republican, drew Trump’s ire for refusing to go along with the plan and telling colleagues he had no self-respect for piling up the nation’s debt.
“It’s embarrassing!” roared Roy, pointing to his fellow Republicans standing on the Democratic side of the aisle.
The slimmed-down package includes federal funding to rebuild Baltimore’s crumbling Key Bridge, but left out a separate land transfer that could pave the way for a new Washington Commander football stadium.
But that leaves a long list of other bipartisan bills that had support after lawmakers from both parties tried to wrap up work for the year. It extends government funding until March 14.
Adding an increase in the debt ceiling to the bipartisan package is a show-stopper for Republicans who routinely vote against more borrowing, and Democrats who have been unwilling to pay the price without Trump’s demands.
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