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President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown, instead telling House Republicans to essentially renegotiate — days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. (AP Video: Nathan Ellgren)
President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate — days before a deadline when federal funding runs out.
What we’re following today:
Senior Republicans broke from a meeting in the House speaker’s office saying they are still working on a bill to avert a shutdown.
Rep. Tom Emmer, the third-ranked Republican in leadership, said the situation was “fluid.”
Rep. Tom Cole, the chief Republican appropriator, said work had been “good.”
“I think there’s a path forward,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, another senior Republican appropriator.
Still, any legislation would need Democratic support to pass Congress, leaving Republican leaders a treacherous if not impossible task of meeting Donald Trump’s demands while also gaining Democratic votes.
Trump and his allies effort to torpedo a bipartisan spending agreement has left Democrats extremely frustrated after spending weeks engaging in good faith negotiations with Republican leadership.
After meeting with his caucus, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries once again rejected any possibility that his members would bail out Republicans as the shutdown threat looms.
“GOP extremists want House Democrats to raise the debt ceiling so that House Republicans can lower the amount of your Social Security check,” Jeffries posted on social media. “Hard pass.”
When Congress is down to the wire on passing measures to fund the federal government, the term “CR” often comes up. What does it mean?
“CR” stands for “continuing resolution,” and it’s a temporary spending bill that lets the federal government stay open and operating before Congress and the president have approved a more permanent appropriation.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, CRs typically keep the same level of funding of appropriations from the prior year, or a previously approved CR from the current year.
If Congress doesn’t approve a continuing resolution or more permanent spending measure by Friday, the federal government could shut down.
This is all happening in part because when the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Congress simply punted the problem by passing a temporary funding bill to keep the government in operation.
That measure expires on Friday.
President-elect Donald Trump says he’s determined to “fight ‘till the end” to get a debt limit increase from Congress. The end, alas, is probably a long ways off.
Congress last suspended the debt limit to January 2025 as part of a package negotiated by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Even though the bill was signed into law, some House Republicans said it didn’t go far enough, and it ended up costing McCarthy his job when eight Republicans sided with Democrats to oust him.
It took months for McCarthy to negotiate the last deal. Now Trump is looking for Johnson to pass a debt ceiling extension days before a partial government shutdown.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., talks to reporters Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., talks to reporters Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, left, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, left, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
More than 8 in 10 Americans share the same view of both men, whether positive or negative, according to an AP-NORC poll. About half (49%) have an unfavorable view of both Musk and Trump, and about one-third (36%) have a favorable view of both men. Only about 1 in 10 have a positive view of Musk but not Trump, and another 1 in 10, roughly, like Trump but not Musk.
About 7 in 10 Republicans have a favorable view of Trump and Musk, and they’re more likely than independents and Democrats to feel this way. About 4 in 10 white Americans have a positive view of both men, compared with about one-third of Hispanic adults and about 2 in 10 Black adults.
▶ Read more about the AP-NORC poll
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the vice president-elect, leaves the Senate chamber as lawmakers work on an interim spending bill to avoid a shutdown of federal agencies, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the vice president-elect, leaves the Senate chamber as lawmakers work on an interim spending bill to avoid a shutdown of federal agencies, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The House Speaker met behind closed doors late into the night at the Capitol with GOP lawmakers trying to figure out a way out of the bind. Vance joined them until nearly 10 p.m., his young son — in pajamas — in tow.
“We had a productive conversation,” Vance said as he and his son exited the speaker’s office, declining repeated questions about the details.
“We’re in the middle of these negotiations, but I think we’ll be able to solve some problems here.”
President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News Digital that House Speaker Mike Johnson will “easily remain speaker” for the next Congress if he “acts decisively and tough” and eliminates “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the spending package.
Fox News Digital spoke exclusively with the president-elect Thursday morning, just hours after the bipartisan deal to avoid a partial government shutdown was killed.
“Anybody that supports a bill that doesn’t take care of the Democrat quicksand known as the debt ceiling should be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
In this picture taken through a window, President-elect Donald Trump, from left, Trump’s pick for the planned Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance attend the NCAA college football game between Army and Navy at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
In this picture taken through a window, President-elect Donald Trump, from left, Trump’s pick for the planned Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance attend the NCAA college football game between Army and Navy at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Already, the massive 1,500-page bill was on the verge of collapse, as hard-right conservatives rejected the increased spending. They were egged on by Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk, who rejected the plan almost as soon as it was released.
Even the addition of much-needed disaster aid, some $100.4 billion in the aftermath of hurricanes and other natural calamities that ravaged states this year, plus $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers failed to win over the budget-slashing GOP. A number of Republicans had been waiting for Trump to signal whether they should vote yes or no.
“This should not pass,” Musk posted on his social media site X in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
One lawmaker said office phone lines were flooded with calls from constituents
“My phone was ringing off the hook,” said Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky. “The people who elected us are listening to Elon Musk.”
Democrats decried the GOP revolt over the stopgap measure, which would have also provided some $100.4 billion in disaster aid to states hammered by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.
“House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt everyday Americans all across this country,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Jeffries said “an agreement is an agreement,” and by backing out of it “the House Republicans “will now own any harm that is visited upon the American people.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump ejected Congress’s proposal as full of giveaways to Democrats after billionaire ally Elon Musk whipped up outrage toward the bill and cheered on Republican lawmakers who announced their opposition.
Trump’s joint statement with Vice President-elect JD Vance punctuated a daylong torrent of social media posts by Musk attacking the legislation for what he described as excessive spending.
“Stop the steal of your tax dollars!” Musk wrote on his social media platform X as he dangled primary challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal, a threat Trump later echoed in a post of his own.
The episode showcased the growing political influence of Musk, whom Trump has selected alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to spearhead the Department of Government Efficiency, a nongovernmental task force formed to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programs and reduce regulations.
▶ Read more about the proposal’s delay and what it means for government funding
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