Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free
A guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world.
The U.S. government could be shut down within days after President Donald Trump tried to kill the chances of Congress passing a bipartisan funding bill.
The president-elect on Wednesday slammed an agreement struck between House Republicans and Democrats to continue funding the federal government beyond Friday, calling his allies on Capitol Hill a “stupid” and “incompetent” compromise. urged to reject the proposal.
Hours later, leading Republican lawmakers killed the bill, with House Speaker Mike Johnson choosing not to risk the wrath of President Trump by calling for a vote on the bill on the floor.
Fellow House Republican leader Steve Scalise said late Wednesday that the bill is invalid. “There is still a lot of negotiation and dialogue going on, but there is no new agreement,” he told reporters in Washington.
The dramatic collapse of the bipartisan agreement just two days before Friday’s deadline follows President Trump’s criticism on social media that the “only way” to secure a deal was “more aid from Democrats and more debt.” Otherwise, it is a stopgap funding.” Sealing”.
He added, “Any other action is a betrayal of our country.”
The demise of the compromise means the government could run out of money before the end of the week and some federal programs could come to a halt. Some federal employees will be sent home and pay will be suspended for federal employees, including military personnel.
The White House called on Republicans to “stop playing politics.” Failure to do so risks harming Americans and causing instability. “President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance have ordered Republicans to shut down the government. … A deal is a deal, and Republicans must keep their word,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Ta.
The funding crisis marks the end of several tumultuous years for Congress, where right-wing Republicans have repeatedly threatened their leadership in the House, including an insurrection that would oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023. .
With Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, Johnson will need Democrats to pass a so-called continuing resolution that would provide temporary funding to the federal government.
The stopgap bill would have kept the $6.75 trillion federal budget running at its current level until March 14, when Republicans will take control of Congress following last month’s election victory. This funding sustains a wide range of federal programs, including defense, regulatory agencies, national parks, and air travel safety.
But President Trump and other Republicans, including billionaire Elon Musk, criticized the bill for spending “favors” to Democrats.
President Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance said in a statement that Republicans needed to “act smart and tough” and that “if Democrats threaten to shut down the government if we don’t give them everything they want, we’ll call their bluff.” should be said.”
Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who is tasked with cutting government spending when Trump retakes the White House, lashed out at the bill on social media Wednesday, with Musk potentially backing it. He threatened what he called “pork barrel politicians.”
“Any Representative or Senator who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out within two years,” Musk said in a post on his social media platform X.
Recommended
Musk also took exception to the bill’s salary increases for politicians.
President Trump also called for any funding agreement to include an increase in the U.S. debt ceiling, which dictates how much the federal government can borrow.
“Rather than accept debt limit chaos in the Biden administration, Republicans will bring debt limit chaos into the Trump administration.” . . President Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that it should and will be a primary election. President Trump’s comments indicate that he intends to support rival candidates in the primaries against Republicans opposed to him.
“We have had several conversations about the debt limitations associated with the (continuing resolution),” Scalise said Wednesday.
