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The Senate is on track to pass a stopgap bill after its passage in the House earlier Friday. However, the upper chamber ran past the midnight deadline, meaning there will be a technical government shutdown, though that is unlikely to impact federal workers who are already off the clock.
Covered by: Greg Norman, Breanne Deppisch, Elizabeth Pritchett, Lindsay Kornick, Bradford Betz, Chad Pergram, Julia Johnson, Aubrie Spady, Elizabeth Elkind, Alex Nitzberg, Louis Casiano and Landon Mion
House lawmakers voted 366 to 34 to pass a stopgap funding bill.
The bill would extend government funding into March and includes disaster relief and farming provisions.
A streamlined version of a bill backed by Trump to avert a partial government shutdown failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night.
The national debt has climbed to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion.
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incoming update…
A partial government shutdown began at 12:01 on Saturday morning after Congress failed to pass a stopgap spending measure before the deadline and send it to President Biden’s desk.
However, the Senate is actively working through amendment votes and other considerations in order to send the measure to Biden. The stopgap bill is expected to be passed in the Senate in the coming hours.
The partial shutdown comes only days before Christmas and New Year’s.
As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and was continuing to climb rapidly.
During a partial government shutdown, federal agencies and non-essential services are stopped, but some functions that are considered “essential” will continue. Certain national security functions, such as border patrol, law enforcement and disaster response, will remain active during the shutdown.
However, because the Senate is expected to move the bill forward imminently, the disruption to government function will be minimal, if at all noticeable.
Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters following the weekly Senate luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on December 17, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Sen. Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., late Friday said the Senate was on course to pass a short-term spending bill before funding lapsed at the midnight deadline.
“I have very good news for my colleagues and for the country,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in announcing a time agreement for the vote.
And while the bill won’t get to President Joe Biden to be signed into law before funding lapses, don’t expect to see an impact on government operations.
There will not be agency furloughs, and most federal workers are already off the clock over the weekend anyhow.
According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a budget watchdog, 10 funding gaps of three days or fewer have occurred since 1981. Most took place over a weekend, when government operations were only minimally affected.
The Capitol in Washington, is framed by early morning clouds. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The Senate has begun voting on a series of measures that is expecting end with a vote on a government funding package.
Schumer said on the Senate floor that the time agreement would allow passage “before the midnight deadline.”
There will be a series of votes ahead of final passage, but support for the legislation is clear in the Senate.
There’s a chance the funding package won’t be passed until slightly after midnight.
The House approved a new plan from House Speaker Mike Johnson that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but dropped President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.
The vote came a day after the House rejected Trump’s new plan to fund operations and suspend the debt ceiling, as Democrats and dozens of Republicans refused to accommodate his sudden demands.
In a late-night maneuver, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill that authorizes research on pediatric cancer after a similar proposal was cut when House Republicans abandoned the first funding deal this week.
On the Senate floor this evening, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) discussed the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0, a bill — now passed in the Senate — reauthorizing a pediatric disease research initiative within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through FY2028. The bill, H.R. 3391, also “requires the NIH to coordinate pediatric research activities to avoid duplicative efforts.”
The government funding legislation that passed the House earlier Friday was a slimmed-down package from a deal that congressional leaders initially reached. Some Republicans, along with Elon Musk, celebrated that as a victory, but Democrats singled out the pediatric cancer research funding as an example of the things they were cutting.
The cancer research bill that gained final approval authorizes the program for a shorter period than congressional proponents had hoped, however, and other health research from the first funding proposal was still abandoned.
Sen. Kaine said he will vote for the continuing resolution anyway, but shared his disappointment with the bill’s exclusion and used his time on the floor to advocate for authorization of the program.
“I’m going to vote for the C.R. when it comes over from the House. But if I’m going to have to explain to advocates that I share their disappointment for the fact that this ten year program, which has now produced more than $125 million in research into pediatric cancer, is going to be left on the floor, I have to at least make an effort here on the floor to authorize this program going forward.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (Allison Robbert/Pool Photo via AP, File)
President-elect Trump isn’t happy with the passage of a stopgap funding bill in the House because it doesn’t doesn’t include debt ceiling provisions, Fox News has learned.
The legislation doesn’t include a measure to increase the debt ceiling, but Trump is staying out of the matter, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News.
The bill passed in the House and will move to the Senate for a vote.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.
Over 30 House Republicans voted Friday against a bill to avert a partial government shutdown.
Lawmakers scrambled to reach consensus on a spending package ahead of the looming partial government shutdown deadline on Friday. An initial 1,547-page bipartisan deal that would have extended the government funding deadline until March 14 was released on Tuesday night, but the proposal crumbled after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the spending bill.
A more condensed, Trump-backed version was brought to the floor on Thursday night, but failed to pass.
In a last minute vote on Friday, the House succeeded in passing a funding bill — with 34 Republicans voting against the legislation, and zero Democrats voting against it. One Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, voted present.
Among those who voted against the bill was Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who told Fox News Digital “I don’t know why we’re giving Joe Biden $100 billion to play with in 30 days.”
Other House members who voted against the bill include: Rep. and Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind., Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo, Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., Rep. Diane Harshbarger, R-Tenn., Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., Rep. Greg Lopez, R-Colo., Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas.
Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he was “confident” the Senate would pass the stopgap spending bill overwhelmingly passed by the House late Friday.
“The House has overwhelmingly passed a bill to keep the government open and I’m confident the Senate will pass it as well. We hope to get it passed as soon as possible,” he said in a statement.
“Though this bill does not include everything Democrats fought for, there are major victories in this bill for American families — provide emergency aid for communities battered by natural disasters, no debt ceiling, and it will keep the government open with no draconian cuts. As I have said, the only way to keep the government open is through bipartisanship.”
The measure was not the original continuing resolution that Democrats pressed Republicans to return to after billionaire Elon Musk led a public campaign against it that resulted in it getting scrapped.
The short-term bill is similar to the one that failed on the House floor on Thursday evening, but it does not include the controversial debt ceiling suspension that President-elect Donald Trump had requested himself.
The measure included economic relief for farmers as well as disaster aid for those affected by storms earlier in the year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said lawmakers were “really grateful” following the passing of the bill to avert a government shutdown.
“We are really grateful that tonight, in bipartisan fashion with an overwhelming, majority of votes, we passed the American Relief Act of 2025,” Johnson told reporters.
The bill funds the federal government through March. Specifically, Johnson noted the importance of disaster relief assistance for Americans still recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“We also took care of our farmers, many of whom were on the brink of collapse because of BidenNomics,” he said.
Johnson said he spoke with President-elect Trump and Elon Musk before the House vote.
“I was in constant contact with, with President Trump, throughout this process. Spoke with him most recently about 45 minutes ago,” said Johnson. “He, he knew exactly what we were doing and why. And, and this is a good outcome for the country. I think he certainly is happy about this outcome as well.”
“Elon Musk and I talked to within about an hour ago,” Johnson added. “And, and we talked about the extraordinary challenges of this job. And I said, hey, you want to be speaker of the House?”
The bill now heads to the Senate.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., one of 34 Republicans to vote against a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown, said Democrats took out the provisions that President-elect Trump wanted in prior legislation.
“There’s $5.7 billion for submarines. There’s funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Burchett said, referring to the Baltimore bridge that was destroyed in March when a cargo ship crashed into it. “Well, the dadgum barge that hit it was insured and apparently it was 100%.”
Burchett also took issue with the amount aside for disaster relief.
“So, you know, $100 billion for disaster relief. Those folks need disaster aid. But where do they come up with the figure $100 billion? We don’t trust this Biden administration with a nickel and we give them $100 billion to play with in 30 days. I think there are a lot of holes in that.”
The White House on Friday endorsed the passing of a stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government open.
“President Biden supports moving this legislation forward and ensuring that the vital services the government provides for hardworking Americans,” White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
“While it does not include everything we sought, it includes disaster relief that the President requested for the communities recovering from the storm, eliminates the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires, and would ensure that the government can continue to operate at full capacity,” she added.
Jean-Pierre noted that a government shutdown would have paused essential government services and that military service members and air traffic controllers would have had to work without being paid.
The White House also criticized Republicans and President-elect Trump for failing to pass bipartisan legislation earlier.
“In order to pave the way to provide tax breaks for billionaires. This revised legislation does not do that,” said Jean-Pierre.
U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The House of Representatives has passed a bill to avert a partial government shutdown on Friday evening.
The deadline to avert a partial shutdown is just after midnight on Saturday.
The bill now heads to the Senate, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
It comes after several previous iterations of the legislation were torpedoed over the last few days amid brutal House GOP infighting, as the national debt has climbed to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion.
Trump’s demand for Congressional Republicans to act on the debt limit before he comes to office was left out of the final bill, but Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., unveiled a plan to GOP lawmakers on Friday that would involve raising the debt limit next year while also seeking cuts to government spending.
The latter plan came after Johnson met with Trump’s incoming Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director and Vice President-elect JD Vance on Friday morning.
An initial 1,547-page bill, a bipartisan deal between the top two Democrats and Republicans in each Congressional chamber, did not even see a vote before House GOP leaders withdrew it after a tidal wave of conservative backlash – led by Trump, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
A second bill, just 116 pages, failed on the House floor despite Trump’s endorsement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson
House lawmakers reached a consensus on a newly negotiated spending bill that includes many of the same components of the earlier legislation — but without the debt limit provision that had sparked consternation among many in the party.
Republican leaders shared the text late Friday, shortly before lawmakers approved the spending legislation, 366-34.
The bill, unlike the version rejected last night, removes a debt limit extension sought by President-elect Donald Trump.
The new legislation also includes a $10 billion in aid to farmers and agriculture subsidies that were considered a must-pass by many lawmakers.
It also includes $100 billion in disaster aid for U.S. residents, including victims of devastating hurricanes in some U.S states.
“We will not have a government shutdown, and we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for the disaster victims all over the country, and for making sure that military and essential services, and everyone who relies upon the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters before Friday’s, which passed 366-34.
The façade of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. (Getty Images)
Senate Democrats labeled billionaire Elon Musk “co-president” and “shadow speaker” among other titles as they reacted to the original stopgap spending deal’s implosion on Wednesday after he and ultimately President-elect Donald Trump came out against it.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Musk “seems to be the guy in charge of the country now,” reacting to his apparent ability to influence the bill’s prompt failure despite it having been agreed upon by bipartisan leaders in Congress.
If a measure to provide funding for the government is not passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden by midnight on Saturday morning, a partial government shutdown will go into effect.
As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to climb rapidly.
After a 1,547-page short-term spending bill was debuted this week. Musk quickly took to X, formerly Twitter, to trash it, pointing out various seemingly irrelevant provisions as well as its cost and length.
He was soon joined by other critics, and President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance issued their own statement opposing the bill.
This led to significant criticism from Democrats unhappy with Musk’s apparent ability to influence Trump and the Republicans in Congress.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this post.
Richard Lippold’s “Ad Astra” on view outside our National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. (Smithsonian Institution)
The Smithsonian Institution on Friday said all museums and spaces operating under its umbrella would remain open through Dec. 26 in the event of a government shutdown.
“In the event of a government shutdown, our museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will remain OPEN through at least Thursday, Dec. 26. Please note that we are closed on Dec. 25,” it said in a social media post.
The Smithsonian is a collection of museums, education and research centers
Elon Musk
Elon Musk took aim at the new spending bill House lawmakers negotiated Friday, taking to X to question how much influence Republicans wielded in the negotiation process.
Musk’s remarks came in response to an X post from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who noted that House Speaker Mike Johnson had opted to consolidate three components of their spending bill after meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and realizing House lawmakers could secure the votes needed to pass the bill through the chamber.
“So, is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?” Musk quipped in response to Massie’s post, along with a “thinking” emoji.
Massie’s post comes after House Republicans had spent much of Friday weighing the idea of voting on three separate measures: the continued resolution, disaster relief, and farm aid to help avoid a government shutdown.
After meeting with Jeffries, Massie noted on X, Johnson “flipped his decision” and “realized he could get Democrat votes to pass all the legislation as one vote” — a process Musk appeared to take aim at in his post.
House Democrats have spent the last 42 hours fuming over Musk’s outsize influence in the spending bill negotiations and have blamed him for tanking GOP support for the original version of the spending legislation, which had been slated to pass with bipartisan support prior to his very public opposition.
Many spent yesterday accusing Republicans of taking cues from Musk, labelling the billionaire Tesla founder as “President Musk” in their conversations with reporters.
The House was expected to vote on a revamped spending bill to avert a government shutdown between 5 and 5:30 p.m. ET Friday.
The Supreme Court is pictured, Oct. 7, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
In the event of a government shutdown, the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts wouldn’t feel any immediate impact on their normal functions.
There is enough contingency funding for the high court in place for several weeks, but beyond that, there could be “serious disruptions,” the judiciary said in a statement to Fox News.
“The Administrative Office of the United States Courts has announced that the Judiciary is prepared to use carryover funds and fees to keep the courts running for several weeks. Once that funding is exhausted, however, the federal courts face serious disruptions,” the statement said.
The next two weeks are fairly quiet for the federal judicial system – as trial courts have lighter schedules around the holidays — and the next public session for the Supreme Court is on Jan. 10.
The court plans to handle its workload as usual, and any emergency appeals will be processed without delay.
Fox News’ Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this post.
Mitch McConnell will step down as GOP leader in the new Congress.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called allowing a partial government shutdown to happen would be “foolish” in remarks on the chamber floor on Friday afternoon.
“I don’t care to count how many times I’ve reminded our colleagues and our House counterparts how horrible it is to shut the government down,” he said. “And how foolish it is to bet your own side won’t take the blame for it.”
He noted that “Recent history doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for interpretation on that one. When you try to use normal government function as a bargaining chip, you pay a political price.”
McConnell explained the divided nature of the U.S. government’s components, and added that a Senate with one party capable of overcoming a legislative filibuster has not existed in a long time.
“You have a choice,” he said. “Do nothing or try to find things you can agree on and do them together.”
The outgoing Republican Senate leader explained, “Getting things done almost inevitably requires dealing with a lot of people who disagree.”
His remarks came as Republicans in the House had yet to pass a stopgap spending bill to fund the government, with only hours until it will go into a partial shutdown.
House lawmakers are set to soon vote on a bill to avert a partial government shutdown after a similar measure backed by President-elect Trump failed on Thursday.
Congress is scrambling for a path forward as the clock ticks closer to the federal funding deadline, with a partial shutdown expected just after midnight Saturday if no action is taken.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested there would be a House-wide vote Friday when leaving a closed-door House GOP meeting where leaders presented their plan.
“I expect that we will be proceeding forward,” Johnson said. “We will not have a government shutdown, and we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for the disaster victims all over the country, and for making sure that military and essential services, and everyone who relies upon the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays.”
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind, Aubrie Spady and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this post.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., on Friday told reporters on Capitol Hill that he thinks a spending deal could pass under suspension, but that he was a ‘leaning no’ vote.
Burchett was asked if he thought a vote could pass under suspension, meaning limited floor debate.
“I think it could pass. I think it could,” he said. “I would like to see a reduction in cost.”
When asked if he planned to vote for the plan, Burchett replied: “I don’t know yet. I’m leaning no.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., sought to blame House and Senate Democrats for a possible government shutdown Friday, telling reporters that, should Republicans’ 11th-hour scramble to keep the government funded fail, it would be at the hands of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Asked Friday why the Republican House majority had struggled to secure the necessary votes to pass a spending bill Luna said, “Well, we literally one of the smallest majorities in U.S. history,” while adding that House Speaker Mike Johnson is “ensuring that all other members are informed as to what options are on the table. And we’re making this decision.”
Luna continued: “Now, I want to be clear that Hakeem Jeffries is literally telling the American people, and specifically Johnson, that if we shut down, they are not going to help us.”
Luna repeated a claim made earlier in the day that Schumer had been bragging that Democrats had Republicans “by the ba–s.”
“I want to quote Schumer and what he was bragging to other senators saying — and I apologize because there’s women here,” she said. “But he was literally saying that he had Republicans ‘by the ba–s.’ So, that’s not cute Schumer. It’s not cute to mess around with the future and — frankly, with people that are relying on us to do our jobs.
“So, we are going to be sending him something and he’s going to have the decision on whether or not he passes it. And if it’s a shutdown, it’s going to be on Schumer.”
Luna’s remarks come as Republicans appeared to move closer towards an agreement to keep the government funded.
Lawmakers expressed fresh optimism following a roughly two-hour meeting on Friday afternoon, with House Speaker Mike Johnson telling reporters there had been a “unified Republican conference” in the House and “unanimous agreement in the room that we need to move forward.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson promised that lawmakers would avoid a government shutdown on Friday.
“We will not have a government shutdown and we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for the disaster victims all over the country, and for making sure that military and essential services, and everyone who relies upon the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays,” Johnson told reporters.
He said there was a “unified Republican conference” in the House and “unanimous agreement in the room that we need to move forward.”
“I expect that we will be proceeding forward,” he said.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise on Friday said there was no consensus on how the House will proceed on efforts to avoid a government shutdown but were looking at different options.
“You know, whether we do it under suspension or rule, that’s being discussed right now, but ultimately, we’re going to get that done one way or the other. And those are the two approaches that we’re looking at,” the Louisiana Republican told reporters.
Scalise said lawmakers were still discussing the debt limit.
“But we’re still talking about that too. Wouldn’t necessarily be in this package, but ultimately, you know, we will bring something to the floor, either through a suspension or a rule, and we’re making that decision,” he said.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., spoke optimistically to reporters about the chances of a vote on Friday.
“There’s two different options,” Luna said. “I think everyone understands that we don’t want to give (Senate Majority Leader Chuck) Schumer negotiating power, and so what’s happening right now is (House Speaker Mike) Johnson is actually letting everyone go see which option they’re more comfortable with answering questions specifically on reconciliation, and also ensuring that the debt ceiling issue is going to be dealt with, but also that we are going to save money for Americans in the process.”
Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are hoping to ensure the U.S. military is paid during a possible shutdown. (Reuters/Getty)
FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans are leading a charge to ensure military members are paid during a potential partial government shutdown as Congress inches closer to the midnight deadline on Saturday morning.
Three Senate sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is attempting to “hotline” a bill to make sure all armed services and the coast guard are paid in the event of a partial government shutdown.
A hotline is a procedure used by senators usually to pass procedural motions or relatively noncontroversial measures. The practice allows bills or motions to pass with often very little or no public debate at all.
The measure is entitled the Pay Our Troops Act.
Sullivan will take the Senate floor to make a live request for unanimous consent to consider the measure at 6 p.m.
One Republican source told Fox News Digital that they expect Senate Democrats to object to the request, noting that they have done so in the past.
House Majority Leader, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., said Friday that Republicans have a “good plan” to avoid a partial government shutdown.
“We’re about to lay it out to our members and then move forward. It’s a good plan,” he said while heading into a closed-door meeting with other House Republicans.
Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., added: “I think you come to an agreement, then you get together and sit down and figure out, you know, if we can get across the finish line. And that’s probably what we’re about to do now.”
The deadline to avoid a shutdown is late Friday.
Fox News’ Dan Scully contributed to this report.
A reporter pressed the White House Friday on why President Biden has not been speaking publicly as government shutdown is now just hours away.
“Why hasn’t President Biden said anything in the public about this? Don’t the American people deserve to know why millions of federal workers could enter this holiday period without a paycheck?” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked Friday during her daily press briefing.
“All Americans need to know that Republicans are getting in the way here, and they are the ones who have created this mess. That’s the reality. That’s the fact,” she responded. “This is not the first time we’ve been here. And the president has had this approach before. He understands how Congress works. He’s been around for some time. He understands what strategy works here to get this done.
Jean-Pierre said Friday that President Biden has been in contact with Democrat leaders in Congress – Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.
“He has been getting regular updates from his team. His team has been in touch with congressional members from both sides of the aisle,” she said.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said Friday that “we should have passed the appropriations bills weeks ago.
“We had the votes to pass the appropriations bills, but Speaker Johnson knows that the Freedom Caucus is hostile to any appropriations bill. So he chose not to bring them up because he didn’t want to offend them,” Smith told reporters in Washington, D.C.
“So my preference is just pass the damn appropriations bills. CRs are terrible. And speaking as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, they are devastating to the Defense Department,” he continued.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told “America’s Newsroom” Friday that with the spending bill showdown, “We are facing the first great reality of Making America Great again, which is a Congress filled with people who love pork, love taking money home to the district, love deficit spending, love big bureaucracies.”
“They are colliding with the man the American people picked to change things,” he continued, referencing President-elect Donald Trump.
“I think that President Trump would be much better off to let the government close, to let Biden sit there as a totally incompetent president presiding over a mess and to go to the country and say to the country ‘I am not going to be a president who sells you out, I need your help to convince the Congress to pass a good bill.’
“I think the country would respond,” Gingrich added.
House Republicans will hold a closed door meeting at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss efforts to fund the government before midnight.
House Republican negotiators have tentatively reached an agreement on averting a partial government shutdown at the end of Friday, sources told Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Friday that “The lines of communication have been reopened” as the hours are winding down to avoid a partial government shutdown.
“We’re going to work as hard as we can to avoid a Republican-driven government shutdown that will crash the economy and hurt working-class Americans all across the country,” the New York Democrat told reporters on Capitol Hill.
When asked about a tentative agreement that House Republican negotiators have reached, Jeffries said “It’s not a proposal that has been presented to me at this point in time.”
Two people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital that the deal would include a short-term extension of this year’s federal funding levels, disaster aid funding, and agricultural support for farmers – but under three separate bills.
Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
House Republican negotiators have tentatively reached an agreement on averting a government shutdown at the end of Friday, sources told Fox News Digital.
Two people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital that the deal would include a short-term extension of this year’s federal funding levels, disaster aid funding, and agricultural support for farmers – but under three separate bills.
It would also include a handshake agreement to act on the debt limit next year as part of Republicans’ planned massive conservative policy overhaul via a process called reconciliation.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said Friday that “Elon Musk and Vivek [Ramaswamy] have come up here and spent a lot of time talking to the Republicans and these are very smart gentleman.”
“I think what they should take from yesterday is that nothing on a budgetary basis is going to pass here without the Democrats,” he continued, referencing the Trump-backed spending bill that got voted down in the House of Representatives last night.
“So perhaps, the next time they come to D.C., they should meet with us,” Moskowitz declared.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., also said Friday that whatever fix is in store to keep the government open is “going to have to be bipartisan, even if they could cobble together the votes for something here, and they still have to get it through the Senate and have it signed by the president.
“It’s basically Speaker Johnson negotiating with Elon Musk and Donald Trump and acting like the rest of us don’t exist,” Smith also said. “And that’s going to be a problem.”
Fox News’ Jessica Sonkin contributed to this report.
Top Democrats signaled unwillingness to move forward on any other GOP versions of a stopgap bill. (Reuters)
Top Senate Democrats Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., made clear they only intend to move forward on the original stopgap spending bill plan that Republicans scrapped after pressure from billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump.
Murray said she is prepared for a partial government shutdown and to stay in Washington D.C., for the Christmas holiday if Republicans do not return to the original short-term spending bill that was released earlier this week and subsequently killed after Musk and others publicly opposed its provisions.
“I’m ready to stay here through Christmas because we’re not going to let Elon Musk run the government,” she said in a Friday morning statement, hours before the government could be sent into a partial shutdown if a bill is not passed.
As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to climb rapidly.
“Put simply, we should not let an unelected billionaire rip away research for pediatric cancer so he can get a tax cut or tear down policies that help America outcompete China because it could hurt his bottom line. We had a bipartisan deal-we should stick to it,” Murray said.
In floor remarks on Friday morning, Schumer said, “if Republicans do not work with Democrats in a bipartisan way very soon, the government will shut down at midnight.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor Friday that “it’s time to go back to the original agreement we had just a few days ago” when it comes to funding the government.
The 1,547-page spending bill supported by House Speaker Mike Johnson died this week when President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk came out against it.
“It’s time the House votes on our bipartisan CR,” he said. “It’s the quickest, simplest and easiest way we can make sure the government stays open while delivering critical emergency aid to the American people.
“If the House put our original agreement on the floor today, it would pass and we could put the threat of a shutdown behind us. Our agreement would keep the government open, provide emergency aid for communities battered by hurricanes and other natural disasters,” he continued. “Support our seniors. Support our doctors, nurses, rural hospitals and protect our farmers from the dairy cliff. As I said, the only way to get anything done is through bipartisanship.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference on Nov. 13 in Washington. (Allison Robbert/Pool Photo/AP)
President-elect Donald Trump says the looming partial government shutdown is a “Biden problem to solve.”
“If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP,'” he wrote on Truth Social. “This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”
The message comes after Trump said earlier this morning that “Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling.
“Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President,” Trump added.
House lawmakers are expected to vote today on what is being described by a source as a “temporary fix” to keep the government open.
Elon Musk walks on Capitol Hill on the day of a meeting with Senate Republican Leader-elect John Thune, R-S.D., on Dec. 5. (Reuters/Benoit Tessier)
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk asked Friday if any lawmakers have read a so-called “clean” continuing resolution bill that is expected to be voted on today in Washington.
“Has anyone read it? Radical suggestion: FIRST read bill, THEN vote,” Musk wrote on X in response to a post asking “Are they allowed to read this one before hand?”
The House is planning to vote on another CR proposal Friday morning to avert the looming partial government shutdown, a GOP lawmaker told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., speaking to reporters outside Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, said that lawmakers are “very close to a deal.”
However, Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., told reporters that he is not certain a vote will come as early as Friday morning.
Fox News’ Aubrie Spady and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Here are some potential scenarios today on what the Senate could do to try to avert a government shutdown.
It’s possible that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., could try to advance some sort of an interim spending bill. But without an agreement from all 100 senators, this could be easily blocked. Or at least slowed down by several days because senators want to burn clock under Senate rules.
That scenario likely triggers a weekend shutdown because there isn’t enough time.
Doing any sort of interim spending bill by the book in the Senate would take until the middle of next week at this point.
However, if there’s a unanimous consent agreement, the Senate can move very quickly.
The Senate will watch to see if the House advances a bill with Democratic support. There is also the possibility that Senate Republicans could offer something to Democrats. But that would require a time agreement, too.
In anticipation of a potential government shutdown, Fox News is told that many federal agencies have instructed their employees to fill out their timesheets next week as “furlough” for each day.
Fox News is also told that at least at one agency, that includes Christmas Day, a federal holiday. It is unclear how they would handle “giving back” that day if there is a shutdown.
As to when a shutdown could impact federal workers, they are good for now. The official federal pay date for this period is Dec. 26. Paper checks were distributed on Dec. 23.
But the first official pay day for 2025 is Jan. 9. Paper checks would be cut on Jan. 6. So a potential shutdown could impact the next pay cycle if there is a shutdown.
Federal workers are guaranteed backpay during a shutdown under the Antideficiency Act. However, recouping a lost holiday like Christmas is another issue.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Friday that “we’re in this game of Russian roulette at this point in time” when it comes to the spending bill impasse.
“I think that the speaker has put something on the floor, and he’s going to do another time. He’ll give the Democrats an opportunity to participate in this. I think the most important thing is we don’t saddle President Trump with any type of debt ceiling limitation going forward,” said Marshall, who is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee On The Budget.
“I think that the Democrats will use the debt ceiling as leverage, actually, to get more spending, when that comes due, that’s what they always do,” he added. “They use it as leverage to get more spending, and it’s going to slow down the process. It’s going to slow down the reconciliation. Everything else we want to get done. It’s one more hurdle next year.”
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, on Wednesday, Dec. 18. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
Vice President-elect JD Vance is at the Capitol this morning as meetings continue in Speaker Johnson’s office with members of the House Freedom Caucus regarding the looming government shutdown.
Vance arrived shortly before 8 a.m. and ignored multiple questions from Fox News as he entered.
He took a back stairway and it’s unclear if he went to the meeting involving Freedom Caucus members in Johnson’s office.
Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
A source told Fox News on Friday that House lawmakers have reached a “temporary fix” to avoid a government shutdown.
The potential deal could keep the government funded until members return to Capitol Hill in the new year.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said a vote on the matter could happen as early as 10 a.m. Friday.
“We’re expecting votes this morning,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
Sources also told Fox News’ Lawrence Jones that President-elect Donald Trump is making phone calls Friday regarding the spending bill impasse.
Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.
President-elect Trump early Friday called for Congress to either get rid of or extend the debt ceiling, possibly through 2029.
“Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.”
The post comes hours after House lawmakers rejected a Trump-backed plan to fund operations and suspend the debt ceiling.
Earlier Thursday, Trump was touting “SUCCESS in Washington!” in coming up with the new plan that would keep government running for three more months, add more than $100 billion in disaster assistance and allow more borrowing through Jan. 30, 2027.
Lawmakers have until Friday at midnight to pass a new budget plan.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., is expected to meet with JD Vance and other lawmakers this morning on Capitol Hill. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News Friday that “we’re expecting votes this morning” and “we’ve got a plan” ahead of an anticipated meeting with Vice President-elect JD Vance and members of the House Freedom Caucus.
Vance, Johnson and members of the caucus — some of whom voted against the Trump-backed bill last night aimed at averting a partial government shutdown – are expected to gather on Capitol Hill to try to resolve the spending bill deadlock, a source familiar with the planning told Fox News.
Russ Vought, who is Trump’s pick to run the Office of Management and Budget, also was seen walking into Speaker Johnson’s office this morning.
He did not respond when asked by Fox News whether he thinks they can avoid a government shutdown.
Fox News’ Liz Elkind and Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden speaks during a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Dec. 16. (AP/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
President Biden’s disappearance while negotiations continue over a spending bill to fund the government past Friday is just fine with Democrats, according to a new report.
“Biden has remained conspicuously absent outside a brief statement issued by his press secretary — and for now, Democrats said there was little clamor for him to return,” Politico reported Thursday, one day after Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump scuttled the first bipartisan spending bill.
The article said that despite the scramble to avert a government shutdown, “no one seemed to be looking to Biden for answers — and the lame-duck president gave no indication he had any desire to provide them.”
“I haven’t gotten any message from President Biden, or heard of anything that he’s saying,” California Democratic Rep. Mark Takano told Politico, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wouldn’t say he’s been in touch with Biden, only that he’s been in “close contact with the administration.”
As Politico put it, “Democrats appeared largely fine with Biden taking a back seat.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., talks with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., posted on her X account early Friday morning that there is “no plan to cut a deal with Dems” in order to pass the spending bill after two days of chaos on Capitol Hill.
At 12:43 a.m., Luna wrote that discussions are ongoing and voting is set to take place at around 10 a.m. Friday, adding that she will post more details in the morning but lawmakers are “getting this done.”
“Sticking to Trump’s plan + some (where cuts can come from),” she wrote, in part. “No plan to cut a deal with Dems.”
Luna said earlier Thursday evening that she was optimistic a shutdown could be avoided.
Lawmakers have to come to a decision by 11:59 p.m. Friday in order for that to happen.
A spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown that was backed by President-elect Donald Trump failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night after losing the approval of 38 Republicans.
Those Republicans are: Rep. Aaron Bean, Fla.; Rep. Andy Biggs, Ariz.; Rep. Josh Brecheen, Okla.; Rep. Tim Burchett, Tenn.; Rep. Eric Burlison, Mo.; Rep. Kat Cammack, Fla.; Rep. Michael Cloud, Texas; Rep. Andrew Clyde, Va.; Rep. Eli Crane, Ariz.; Rep. John Curtis, Utah; Rep. Jeff Duncan, S.C.; Rep. Russ Fulcher, Idaho; Rep. Bob Good, Va.; Rep. Paul Gosar, Ariz.; Rep. Doug Lamborn, Colo.; Rep. Debbie Lesko, Ariz.; Rep. Nancy Mace, S.C.; Rep. Thomas Massie, Ky.; Rep. Rich McCormick, Ga.; Rep. Corey Mills, Fla.; Rep. Alex Mooney, W. Va.; Rep. Ralph Norman, S.C.; Rep. Scott Perry, Pa.; Rep. Chip Roy, Texas; Rep. David Schweikert, Ariz.; Rep. Keith Self, Texas; Rep. Victoria Spartz, Ind.; Rep. Tom Tiffany, Wis.; and Rep. Beth Van Duyne, Texas.
Two Democrats, Reps. Kathy Castor, Fla., and Marie Gleusenkamp Perez, Wash., voted yes to the proposal.
President-elect Donald Trump listens to Elon Musk as he arrives to watch SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship lift off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Nov. 19. (Brandon Bell/Pool/AP)
Elon Musk on Thursday sought to blame House Democrats for the failed spending bill, posting on X that the “plan b” legislation as a “super fair” and “simple bill” that earned the votes of just two Democrats in the chamber.
The new spending deal, which was wrangled to the floor for a vote by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Thursday, one day after Musk and President-elect Trump heavily opposed the first, bipartisan spending bill, failed to clear the House by a 174-235 vote.
Just two Democrats voted for the legislation, which Musk noted on Twitter.
“A super fair & simple bill was put to a vote and only 2 Democrats in Congress were in favor,” he said, adding that therefore, “responsibility for the shutdown rests squarely on the shoulders” of House minority leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
Still, the number of Republicans who ultimately failed to fall in line Thursday evening could signal larger challenges ahead for Trump, who had sought to bend Johnson and others in the chamber’s GOP majority to his political will and pass through a new bill with a higher debt ceiling.
Thirty-eight Republicans also voted against the legislation, signaling more troubles potentially on the horizon.
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