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The US could face a government shutdown at midnight on Saturday after President-elect Donald Trump asked Republican lawmakers to reject a bipartisan funding bill that would have kept the government funded until March.
Trump urged Congress to scrap the deal and pass a slimmer version with fewer provisions. His speech followed strong criticism of the bill by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Congressman Steve Scalise, the Republican House Majority Leader, indicated on Wednesday night that the bill was dead after Trump denounced it.
The short-term funding bill will need to be passed by Congress by the end of the week to prevent federal government offices from shutting down starting Saturday.
Now, the Republican leadership must go back to the drawing board, and they only have until 11:59 p.m. EDT (04:59 GMT) to reach a deal before funding expires and the government shuts down.
A government shutdown would cause federal agencies, from the National Park Service to the Border Patrol, to limit and begin shutting down operations this weekend.
Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance delivered the final blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisan funding bill Wednesday night after a lobbying campaign led by Mr. Musk to X.
Musk, whom Trump has tasked with cutting government spending in his incoming administration, lobbied hard against the existing deal and repeatedly ran against the bill on Wednesday, often with false statements.
The president and vice president-elect are pushing for streamlined legislation that does not include Democratic-backed provisions that Johnson negotiated with his colleagues across the aisle.
The now-dead bipartisan deal would have extended government funding until March 14, several months after Trump returned to the White House.
The legislation is needed because Congress never passed a budget for fiscal year 2025, which began on Oct. 1. Instead, lawmakers opted to approve a short-term funding extension through Dec. 20.
They also called, in a joint statement, for Congress to raise the debt ceiling, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills, and limit funding legislation to temporary spending and disaster relief .
“Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a NO-DEMOCRAT-GIVEAWAY temporary funding bill combined with an increase in the debt ceiling,” the release said. to read
Anything else they called “a betrayal of our country.”
In posts on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump threatened to help take down “any Republican who would be stupid enough to” vote for the current version of the bill, which was introduced on Tuesday.
“If the Democrats are threatening to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then TAKE THEIR BLUFF,” he said.
Johnson’s 1,500-page continuing resolution included more than $110 billion (£88 billion) in emergency disaster relief and $30 billion (£23 billion) in aid to farmers. It also included the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009, federal funds to rebuild a bridge that collapsed in Baltimore, health care reforms and provisions aimed at preventing hotels and live event venues from making misleading advertising.
It’s unclear how Johnson plans to proceed. The two sides will meet on Thursday to decide the way forward for their party.
Democrats are unlikely to help Johnson with support for a revamped funding bill, blaming him for breaking their bipartisan agreement.
“You break the bipartisan deal, you own the consequences,” Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on X.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement after Trump spoke out against the bill, saying, “Republicans need to stop playing politics with this bipartisan deal or they will hurt northerners. hardworking Americans and will create instability across the country.”
“Triggering a damaging government shutdown would hurt families,” President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman continued, adding, “A deal is a deal. Republicans should keep their word.”
There have been 21 US government shutdowns or partial shutdowns over the past five decades, the longest of which was during Trump’s first term, when the government shut down for 35 days.
