Donald Trump rejects bipartisan plan to avoid a government shutdown, sets up debt ceiling battle

President-elect Donald Trump has come out against Congress' plan to fund the government through March and called on lawmakers to raise the debt ceiling, introducing a surprising, last-minute complication with a serious shutdown looming in just two days.

"Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH," Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance wrote in a joint statement Wednesday. "If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF."

Trump later threatened Republican lawmakers who ignore his priorities on the government funding fight with primary opposition next election.

"Everything should be done, and fully negotiated, prior to my taking Office on January 20th, 2025," he shared on Truth Social.

Lawmakers reached a bipartisan agreement Tuesday on a continuing resolution, a stopgap measure to prevent a government shutdown and furloughs for thousands of federal employees over the holidays. Current government funding expires Friday night.

But the over 1,500-page bill has been met with hailstorm of criticism, primarily from conservatives upset over the breadth of add-ons within the funding package, which range from disaster relief to pay raises for lawmakers.

“I was hoping for just a clean CR with a few things like disaster relief and an extension of flood insurance. Sort of a weeny Christmas tree,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “This one looks like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.”

The holiday-themed nickname of "Christmas tree" refers to an abundance of ornaments, or extra provisions and amendments, hung on a must-pass funding bill.

"One of the worst bills ever written," billionaire and Trump confidant Elon Musk wrote in one of several X posts calling for lawmakers to reject the resolution.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he spoke with Trump Wednesday evening on the phone, and the president-elect expressed frustration with House Speaker Mike Johnson’s handling of the funding extension.

“Is this how you want your government to run?” Hawley said he asked Trump. “I mean, these guys can’t manage their way out of a paper bag.”

Instead, Trump and his allies are calling for a temporary funding bill without many of the extra initiatives in the Tuesday bipartisan plan. However, some GOP lawmakers warn they don't want the resolution slimmed too far down.

Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., whose home state was hit earlier this year by the devastating Hurricane Helene, said he will not vote for a proposal if it does not include disaster funding.“To anybody who thinks disaster relief is pork, come to where I live,” he said. The current funding proposal includes about $100 billion in disaster aid.

But Trump and Vance also introduced another gigantic hurdle with just over 48 hours until a government shutdown: raise the debt ceiling, or the amount of money Congress is allowed to borrow in order to pay bills it's already agreed to.

The current debt limit suspension ends on January 1, 2025. The agreement allows a few extra months for the Treasury Department to use “extraordinary measures” to pay the bills.

Democratic lawmakers immediately criticized Trump's call.

"House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government. And hurt the working class Americans they claim to support," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a post responding to Trump's opposition. "You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow."

What was once upon a time a relatively routine process, raising this cap has become an intense partisan battle every two years and is a must-do in 2025.

But the incoming White House leaders appeared Wednesday to call for lawmakers to move up that expected fight.

"Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch. If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration?" Trump and Vance said in their statement. "Let’s have this debate now."

The White House on Wednesday accused Republicans of "playing politics" and risking creating "instability across the country."

"Triggering a damaging government shutdown would hurt families who are gathering to meet with their loved ones and endanger the basic services Americans from veterans to Social Security recipients rely on. A deal is a deal. Republicans should keep their word," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Contributing: Riley Beggin, Sudiksha Kochi, Anna Kaufman

This story was updated to add a new video.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Government shutdown: Trump rejects plan, calls to raise debt ceiling