House OKs funding bill, sends to Senate hours before government shutdown deadline
WASHINGTON - Hours to go before a midnight government shutdown, the House approved a new plan late Friday from 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.
Johnson insisted Congress would "meet our obligations" and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day's outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal — if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures "start now."
The bill was approved 366-34, and now goes to the Senate, for expected quick passage.
The House rejected a new plan on Thursday backed by Trump that would have funded operations and suspended the debt ceiling.
Lawmakers failed to reach the two-thirds threshold needed for passage, as Democrats and dozens of Republicans refused to accommodate Trump’s sudden demands. The plan didn’t even get a majority, with the bill failing 174-235.
The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and fire thousands of employees. Trump himself sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House, the monthlong closures over the 2018-19 Christmas holiday and New Year period.
According to the Associated Press, Trump is also pushing the debt ceiling debate off the table before he returns to the White House.
The federal debt limit expires Jan. 1, and Trump doesn't want the first months of his new administration saddled with tough negotiations in Congress to lift the nation's borrowing capacity. It gives Democrats, who will be in the minority next year, leverage.
House Republicans are putting together a new plan, which could involve splitting up the previous efforts — government funding, disaster and agricultural aid into separate votes — with debt ceiling potentially later.
The AP noted that they were preparing to meet privately during the lunch hour to discuss next steps, with a shutdown 12 hours away.
House fails to pass Trump-backed spending bill
A bill to avert a partial government shutdown that was backed by President-elect Trump failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night. House GOP leaders must now huddle again to chart a way forward after the bill failed to net support from two-third of the chamber. Congress is inching closer to the possibility of a partial shutdown, with the deadline coming at the end of Friday. Political analyst Rich Rubino joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss.
It was a big setback for Trump and his billionaire ally, Elon Musk, who railed against House Speaker Mike Johnson’s earlier bipartisan compromise earlier this week, which Republicans and Democrats had reached to prevent the government shutdown.
But despite the failed passage, Johnson appeared determined to reassess before Friday's midnight deadline.
"We're going to regroup and we will come up with another solution, so stay tuned," Johnson said after the vote.
Here’s what to know:
Trump endorsed the plan
Trump announced "SUCCESS in Washington!" in coming up with the new package which would keep the government running for three more months, add $100.4 billion in disaster assistance including for hurricane-hit states, and allow more borrowing through Jan. 30, 2027.
"Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal," Trump posted.
FILE - The US Capitol is pictured ahead of a vote on a revised continuing resolution bill in Washington, DC, on Dec. 19, 2024. (Photo by ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images)
All day, Johnson had been fighting to figure out how to meet Trump's sudden demands — and keep his own job — while federal offices were being told to prepare to shutter operations.
The new proposal whittled the 1,500-page bill to 116 pages and dropped a number of add-ons — notably the first pay raise for lawmakers in more than a decade, which could have allowed as much as a 3.8% bump. That drew particular scorn as Musk turned his social media army against the bill.
Trump said early Thursday that Johnson will "easily remain speaker" for the next Congress if he "acts decisively and tough" in coming up with a new plan to also raise the debt limit. And if not, the president-elect warned of trouble ahead for Johnson and Republicans in Congress.
"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.
What was the deal?
The bill included aid for farmers and roughly $110 billion in disaster relief funding for Americans affected by storms Helene and Milton.
The slimmed-down package included federal funds to rebuild Baltimore’s collapsed Key Bridge, but dropped a separate land transfer that could have paved the way for a new Washington Commanders football stadium.
But it abandoned a long list of other bipartisan bills that had support as lawmakers in both parties tried to wrap up work for the year. It extends government funds through mid-March.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats were sticking with the original deal with Johnson and called the new one "laughable."
As he left the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "Now it’s time to go back to the bipartisan agreement."
What’s next?
The bill would have funded the government through March 14, 2025. Without a new funding agreement, a shutdown will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21.
A bill would also still need approval from the Democratic-controlled Senate, and signed by President Joe Biden.
Before 9 a.m. ET on Friday, a number of Johnson's biggest critics brought their grievances to a private meeting, according to the Associated Press.
Reps. Chip Roy, Andy Biggs, Bob Good and others, all who voted against the Trump-backed plan Thursday, met with the speaker as Republicans look for a way forward on a short-term spending deal that includes a suspension of the nation’s debt limit.
Good of Virginia came out and said he would surprised if there was a vote Friday on any path forward. Moments later, Rep. Lauren Boebert said Republicans were making progress and having Vice President-elect JD Vance in the room is helping move things toward a resolution that can get a majority on the floor.
"I think President Trump was possibly, sold a bad bill yesterday," the Colorado lawmaker said. "I did not want to see a failure on the House floor for the first demand that President Trump is making."
But, she added, the failure on the floor has forced many of her colleagues to come together Friday.