Trump-backed bill to keep U.S. government open fails to pass

The U.S. House of Representatives voted against a funding measure backed by Donald Trump, bringing this weekend’s government shutdown a step closer.

The revised spending plan failed to win the required two-thirds majority in the lower house of Congress, with 38 Republicans voting against the bill Thursday night in defiance of the president-elect.

Trump blocked a bipartisan funding deal between Republican House leadership and Democrats after tech billionaire Elon Musk harshly criticized the measure.

After the bill failed in a 174-235 vote, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would propose another solution before government funding expires at midnight on Friday.

The replacement bill approved by Trump would tie government funding to a two-year suspension of the federal debt limit, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills.

Republican rebels opposed it because they opposed increased government spending, while Democrats voted against it because they said the additional borrowing would go toward tax cuts for the wealthy.

Here are five things you need to know about a potential government shutdown:

The now-looming government shutdown dates back to September, when another budget deadline loomed.

Johnson failed to pass a six-month funding extension. Most Democrats voted against the extension, which included a measure that would have required proof of citizenship to vote (the SAVE Act).

Instead, Congress reached bipartisan agreement on a basic bill that would keep government funding going until Dec. 20.

Johnson promised at the Republican conference in December that they would not have to vote on all but the kitchen sink spending bills before the holiday recess when funding was set to expire.

But when congressional leaders released the text of the latest spending bill on Tuesday, three days before lawmakers go on holiday, it totaled 1,547 pages.

The bill would extend government funding until March 14, nearly three months after Trump returns to the White House.

These include more than $110bn (£88bn) in emergency disaster relief and $30bn in aid for farmers; the first pay rise for lawmakers since 2009; federal money to rebuild a collapsed bridge in Baltimore; health care reform; and plans to prevent Rules for deceptive advertising in restaurants and live event venues.

Some Republicans criticized Johnson for abandoning the more basic spending bill, specifically denouncing the left-leaning provisions negotiated to win Democratic support.

Johnson defended the deal, blaming “acts of God” for the need for some additional provisions, such as disaster aid and aid to farmers.

Still, opposition to Johnson’s spending deal grew on Wednesday.

Musk was entrusted by Trump to co-lead the Department of Government Effectiveness (the department is Not an official government department), Lobbying vigorously against existing agreement There are dozens of posts on X.

He called it a “criminal” and frequently mentioned false statements about the bill in his posts.

Musk wrote on X that any “congressman who votes for this outrageous spending bill should be voted out within two years.”

Trump and incoming Vice President J.D. Vance delivered the final blow to Johnson’s deal that night after Musk vigorously opposed the spending bill.

They said in a joint statement that they wanted to simplify the legislation without including the Democratic-backed provisions that Johnson included.

They also called on Congress to raise or eliminate the debt ceiling, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills, and limit financing legislation to temporary spending and disaster relief.

They call anything else “a betrayal of our country.”

Johnson and House Republicans introduced simplified legislation Thursday, but the bill failed in a vote that night. It’s unclear what they will do next.

Lawmakers are not expected to vote again on Thursday, meaning they will return on Friday morning, less than 24 hours before a possible shutdown.

But it’s clear that the partisan blame game is in full swing. After the bill was defeated on Thursday, Johnson told reporters that it was “very disappointing” that nearly all House Democrats voted against it.

“I think it’s really irresponsible for us to risk closure over these issues on something they’ve already agreed to,” he said.

Johnson may need Democratic support, especially as divisions within his party over the bill became apparent this week.

But Democrats are unlikely to help Johnson support a revised appropriations bill, accusing him of undermining bipartisan agreement.

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on Musk’s X website: “You violated the bipartisan agreement and you bear the consequences.”

Others appeared to mock Republicans for appearing to take direction from the unelected Mr. Musk.

On the House floor Thursday, Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top House Democratic appropriator, called the billionaire “President Musk,” drawing laughter from fellow Democrats.

“President Musk said ‘Don’t do this, shut down the government,'” she said.

Still, Johnson will need to find a way to win over Democrats in order to pass a spending bill, especially as pent-up anger within his own caucus threatens to explode.

Time is also of the essence. These negotiations typically take weeks.

Federal agencies rely on annual funding to operate. These agencies must cease non-essential functions when Congress fails to pass the 12 spending bills that make up the spending budget.

Essential services such as border protection, hospital care, law enforcement and air traffic control continue to operate.

But many federal employees may not be paid.

Benefit verification and card issuance will stop while Social Security and Medicare checks are issued. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding is mandatory, but food stamp benefits may be affected by the shutdown. This could lead to delays in similar aid programs.

Other agencies ceased operations entirely.

The FDA stopped food safety inspections, the Environmental Protection Agency stopped inspections, and national parks closed to visitors.

It’s the first major test of Trump’s influence over current congressional Republicans, some of whom balked at Thursday’s vote.

It also poses a challenge for Speaker Johnson, as the House of Representatives will vote in just 15 days on who will serve as Speaker of the House for the next Congress.

Johnson’s previously seemingly secure position now seems less certain.

Facing strong opposition from Trump and Musk, the Louisiana Republican is now under scrutiny from his own party over his handling of government funding.

Some Republicans have said they will not vote for Johnson to lead the House. He cannot afford to lose the support of many Republicans, given that the party holds a slim majority of just five seats in the next Congress.

Given the recent history of the Republican Party, the threat to Johnson is serious.

In January 2023, California Republican Kevin McCarthy won the speakership after 15 rounds of voting.

After just 10 months, he was ousted from office by Republicans, who accused him of failing to cut spending and work with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.