WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives on Thursday broke with an earlier bipartisan agreement and made amendments to appease President-elect Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and a revolt within the Republican Party. , rejected a bill to temporarily maintain funding for the government.
The vote was 174-235, with one Democrat voting in favor, but far short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the bill through the fast-track process. Two Democrats voted in favor of the bill, with Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) the only incumbent voting, and the rest of the party voted against it. Thirty-eight Republicans also voted against the bill, with conservatives saying it would not result in significant cuts to federal spending.
The vote leaves Congress without a clear plan to avert an impending government shutdown with less than 30 hours left before the deadline, raising the possibility of a funding crunch ahead of the holidays.
The new bill, put together by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and other Republican leaders, received support from President Trump but faced swift opposition from Democratic leaders who did not approve it before it was announced. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D.N.Y.) called the proposal “laughable” because Democrats were meeting behind closed doors before the vote.
In a closed session of House Democrats before the vote, members could be heard shouting, “That’s outrageous!” No no! ”
Jeffries said on the House floor before the vote that his party opposes the bill. “We will continue to fight for ordinary Americans, which is why we are voting no on this bill and voting no to stop this reckless, backward and reactionary Republican shutdown. “It’s true.”
The 116-page bill announced Thursday would fund the government through March 14 and avert a government shutdown scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. It will also extend the nation’s debt ceiling until January 30, 2027, in response to President Trump’s critical 11th-hour request.
This streamlined package includes millions of dollars in disaster relief funds for construction projects and environmental cleanup for recovery from Hurricanes Helen and Milton, among many other designations. are.
The bill includes an extension of the Farm Bill as well as funding for the agriculture sector, including millions of dollars for conservation efforts, watershed protection programs, and rural development disaster assistance.
Provisions that infuriated President Trump and his right-wing allies, such as raising the cost of living for members of Congress or giving Washington, D.C., control over stadium grounds for the Washington Commanders NFL team, are absent. The bill also excludes a health care provision agreed to in a previous agreement that would overhaul the law regarding pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
President Trump hailed the deal as a “success” in a post on Truth Social and called on both Republicans and Democrats to vote yes.
“Speaker Mike Johnson and the House of Representatives have reached an agreement that is very good for the American people. The newly agreed American Rescue Act of 2024 will keep the government open and provide funding for our great farmers and others. and will provide relief to those severely affected by this devastating hurricane,” President Trump wrote.
On Thursday night, two Democrats, Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Florida) and Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez (D-Washington), joined most Republicans in voting in favor of the bill. Ta.
The latest Republican proposal was announced less than 36 hours before a deadline to either fund the government or allow a shutdown that would shut down vast swaths of the federal government and furlough thousands of employees.
Democratic leaders accused Johnson and his team of breaking a previous bipartisan agreement he signed. Some say this undermines House Republican leadership’s credibility in future negotiations.
On Wednesday night, Mr. Trump dealt an unexpected blow to funding negotiations by slamming the bipartisan funding deal that Mr. Johnson had negotiated. And in a last-minute demand, he threatened to go after Republicans unless they added a provision extending the debt ceiling, months before a deadline to prevent an economically catastrophic default next year. did. This is a substantive request with less than two days until the deadline. before the shutdown deadline.
On Thursday morning, President Trump went further, telling NBC News that Congress needs to completely eliminate the debt ceiling. In a phone interview, Trump noted that some Democrats have wanted to lift the debt ceiling for years and said he would “take the lead” on that effort.
Jeffries has previously said that any discussion of extending or eliminating the debt ceiling is “premature at best” at this point.
Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro, the former chair of the Appropriations Committee and now the top Democrat, was among those who accused Mr. Johnson and Republicans of reneging on a bipartisan funding deal finalized days earlier.
He said there was a “good agreement” and progress was being made “for President Musk.”
When asked if the tech billionaire is calling the shots for the Republican Party, DeLauro said, “It would seem that way to me!”
(Trump told NBC News on Thursday that Musk only issued a series of statements after speaking with the president-elect calling for an end to the bipartisan compromise, and that the two parties are in agreement on the issue.) )
Rep. Mike Lawler (RN.Y.), who just won re-election in a battleground district, said on MSNBC that “It’s clear Donald Trump is in charge,” and Republicans need Democratic support for the bill. he said.
“The reality here is very simple: We have to negotiate,” Lawler told MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell before Thursday’s agreement was announced. “I would like to remind everyone that we are in a divided government. Still, Democrats control the Senate and the White House, so bipartisan negotiations will be necessary.”
