Government shutdown looming? House rejects Republicans' slimmed-down government funding plan
WASHINGTON ? A deal to avoid a government shutdown that was backed by top Republicans failed in the House on Thursday, with dozens of right-wing lawmakers joining with Democrats to reject the plan.
The agreement was a a slimmed-down version of the bipartisan deal lawmakers announced earlier this week to temporarily avoid a government shutdown, provide disaster relief, and more. But that wasn't enough to win over Democrats in the lower chamber.
A government shutdown will begin at midnight on Friday if lawmakers don't act before the deadline. Thousands of federal employees would be furloughed, and other services would be endangered.
The latest move did pick up support from one pivotal backer: President-elect Donald Trump. He called it a "success" in the nation's capital. Trump's comments come after he joined allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in urging Congress to vote against a bipartisan agreement earlier this week to keep the government funded through March.
Catch up with USA TODAY for live updates throughout the day.
Mike Johnson criticizes Democrats after deal fails
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters “it is very disappointing” that all but two Democrats voted against the continuing resolution on Thursday.
“I want you all to remember that it was just last spring that the same Democrats berated Republicans and said that it was irresponsible to hold the debt limit, the debt ceiling, hostage. What changed? It is, I think, really irresponsible for us to risk a shutdown over these issues on things that they have already agreed upon,” he said.
He added that Republicans will regroup and try to come up with another deal. Democrats, meanwhile, accused Republicans of backing away from a bipartisan agreement lawmakers made earlier in the week.
– Sudiksha Kochi
Plan to avoid government shutdown fails in the House
House Republicans had hurried to craft a new continuing resolution, or temporary means to keep things up and running, on Thursday, after their original bipartisan agreement was torpedoed by Trump and allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
The House voted 235-174 to reject the spending bill where two-thirds of the chamber was needed for passage. Thirty-eight Republicans joined 197 Democrats in opposing the bill.
– Savannah Kuchar
'Put on your big boy pants and pass your own bill'
Lawmakers are having a spirited debate about the funding extension that appears poised to fail on the House floor this evening.
Republicans are alternatively arguing against it and for it. At one point, Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-NY, who is presiding over the chamber, broke a gavel trying to keep the chamber in order.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Florida, told his GOP colleagues to “put on your big boy pants and pass your own bill.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said he doesn’t know why Republicans proposed this bill.
“Because you’re liars,” Democrats shouted in response.
– Riley Beggin
Democrats accuse Republicans of going back on bipartisan deal
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said Republicans “violated their word” and are not going to get help from Democrats to pass their latest extension proposal — as they have on all of the previous deals.
“Hakeem Jeffries basically doesn’t know who his negotiating partner is,” he said. “Is it Mike Johnson? Is it President Elon Musk or Vice President JD Vance or Junior Vice President Donald Trump? Who knows?”
Lawmakers unveiled a bipartisan funding extension earlier this week that would have dodged a government shutdown, but Republicans dropped the plan after Trump came out against it.
– Riley Beggin
Democrats and Republicans start the blame game
Democrats and Republicans are already prepared to throw each other under the bus if Congress can't pass the latest government funding proposal – or if a shutdown ultimately sets in this weekend.
“If it doesn't pass, this is on Hakeem Jeffries’ shoulders alone,” said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis. “When it gets over to the Senate, if it doesn't pass, it's (Sen. Chuck) Schumer's shutdown period.”
Top Republicans negotiated a new funding bid on Thursday, but it has already picked up bipartisan opposition. Some hardline Republicans, including Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas., have opposed the bill. Several Democrats were also unhappy with the new bill’s provisions.
“We arrived at a bipartisan legislative compromise, the Senate Democrats, the Senate Republicans, the House Democrats, the House Republicans, everybody agreed, and then it was blown up by Elon Musk, who apparently has become the fourth branch of government,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., referring to an earlier funding deal rejected by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies.
– Sudiksha Kochi
Democrats balk at GOP agreement
After Republicans announced a new proposal on Thursday afternoon, several Democratic lawmakers quickly rejected the potential deal.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called the new bid “laughable” and “not serious.”
“Extreme Maga Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown,” he told reporters.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said that Democrats “are going to try to figure out how we can salvage the public good out of the wreckage that is just enforced upon.”
“Who is our leader, Hakeem Jeffries, supposed to negotiate with? Is it Mike Johnson? Is he the Speaker of the House, or is it Donald Trump? Or is it Elon Musk, or is it somebody else?” Raskin said.
– Sudiksha Kochi
Donald Trump backs new funding proposal, removing major hurdle
Trump said the latest funding agreement Republicans reached on Thursday afternoon marked a "SUCCESS in Washington!"
"Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People. The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes," Trump said.
He also applauded a reported piece of the agreement: Suspending the nation's debt ceiling for two years.
? Marina Pitofsky
New agreement will be ‘defining moment’ for Mike Johnson
Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., who has yet to look at the new agreement Republicans reached on Thursday, said the saga surrounding the continuing resolution will be a defining moment for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“This is a defining moment for his career as speaker,” said McCormick. “What he does and how he handles this, how he handles our conference, which I'm sure we're going to have a conference meeting here shortly to discuss what's in this new bill, how he handles it will define who he is, if he's a serious leader, and if he's going to survive this leadership vote quite frankly,” McCormick said.
Asked whether he will support Johnson for an another term as speaker in January, McCormick said, “Once I read the details (of the agreement), I’ll let you know.”
? Sudiksha Kochi
Donald Trump blasts right-wing Rep. Chip Roy as government shutdown talks continue
Trump took aim at hardline conservative Rep. Chip Roy on Thursday, suggesting the Texas Republican should face opposition in his 2026 primary election.
“Weak and ineffective people like Chip have to be dismissed as being utterly unknowledgeable as to the ways of politics, and as to Making America Great Again,” Trump wrote on social media.
Roy has been a vocal opponent of the funding extension plan released by House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier this week and killed by Trump and allies soon after. But Trump has also called for Congress to eliminate the debt ceiling, or limit to which the government can borrow money, something that could rub Roy’s fiscal conservatism the wrong way.
– Savannah Kuchar
GOP lawmaker says Musk and Ramaswamy have no sway with him
Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., chair of the House Agriculture Committee, told reporters on Thursday that he will not vote in support of an extension for government funding that doesn’t include disaster assistance relief for farmers.
“We know that there are farmers and ranchers being turned down for access to credit right now as we stand here…and you lose your farm or ranch, there's not a lot of people standing in line to come in and farm behind you and and that leads to food insecurity and only national insecurity,” he said.
Asked what he thought about Musk and Ramaswamy saying farm aid in the bill is not efficient, Thompson said, “I mean, they have a lot of say.” Musk and Ramaswamy were tapped by Trump to head the Department of Government Efficiency, aimed at cutting federal spending and regulations.
“Do they have a lot of sway? Not with me,” Thompson said.
? Sudiksha Kochi
Congressional gridlock as deadline for yet another US government shutdown edges closer
The clock is ticking as Congressional lawmakers scramble to prevent yet another government shutdown, which will kick into effect just after midnight on Saturday, Dec. 21.
Since 1976, the government has partially closed a total of 21 times - the last and longest one resulted in a 35-day standoff between then-President Donald Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi from December 2018 to January 2019.
? Terry Moseley
Will a government shutdown affect Social Security checks? Here's what you need to know
During a government shutdown, some federal agencies continue their work because at least some of their workers are considered “essential” to continue activities such as air traffic control, border protection, law enforcement, in-hospital medical care, and power grid maintenance, notes the nonprofit, nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Among those agencies and programs that continue on because some of their mandatory spending is not subject to annual appropriations by Congress: Medicare, Medicaid and, yes, Social Security.
Social Security has "dedicated funding, so it's outside of the budget process," said Craig Copeland, director of wealth benefits research at the Employee Benefit Research Institute. "All that money is there to paid (out). It doesn't have to be appropriated. … You're still going to get your checks."
? Mike Snider
'President-elect Musk': Elon's influence on display in government spending fight
Hours before Donald Trump blew up a bipartisan stopgap funding deal Wednesday, putting the federal government in danger of a Christmas holiday shutdown, an influential member of his inner circle already was working hard to sink the bill.
Elon Musk took to X – a social media platform he owns – to slam the spending measure, repeatedly posting that lawmakers should “kill the bill.” When Trump finally weighed in, 14 hours after Musk first attacked the spending measure, it looked like he was following the tech impresario's lead.
Democrats and Trump critics decried Musk’s successful effort to derail the spending bill, with some pointing to his wealth to argue he is out of touch.
“The richest man in the world says he wants to shut down the government, forcing millions of American workers ? including our troops ? to go without pay through the holidays,” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., whose district has many federal workers and includes the Pentagon, posted on X. “Republicans are following his orders. This is insane.”
Others, especially Republican lawmakers, were supportive. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wi., was glad to see Musk get involved in the budget fight, saying it’s good to “have somebody in the media that can promote conservative and fiscal responsibility.”
? Zac Anderson and Josh Meyer
Republicans say they're 'making progress' on a spending deal
House Republicans told reporters on Thursday they anticipate a breakthrough on the government funding impasse before a shutdown happens this weekend.
“The vibe in the room is a collaborative one," Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said upon leaving Speaker Mike Johnson's office in the U.S. Capitol. "We're making progress."Johnson declined to go into detail over the discussions in the speaker’s office. "Ultimately, this package is going to get done tremendous things," he said, adding: "We're going to end up in a really, really good place. And listen, it's not always going to be a smooth journey, this deal is going to end up in a good spot.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said she expected the House to vote later Thursday on the issue but wouldn't specify if that would entail a new version of a continuing resolution different from the one Speaker Mike Johnson and Democrats unveiled earlier this week.
? Sudiksha Kochi
What is the debt ceiling?
The debt ceiling is the limit placed by Congress on the amount of debt the government can accrue. In order to pay its bills to those it borrowed from and dole out money for everything from Medicare benefits to military salaries, the government needs more money, so the debt ceiling has to be raised.
Created in 1917, the legislative cap has to be raised by a majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
That vote does not pledge any additional spending. It merely raises the limit on the amount of money the government can borrow to pay back commitments already agreed upon by Congress.
– Anna Kaufman
Is mail service or the post office impacted by a government shutdown?
No. The U.S. Postal Service remains unaffected by a government shutdown because it does not depend on Congress for funding.
In a statement posted to their website on Sept. 29, 2023, during risks of a government shutdown, USPS said their "operations will not be interrupted in the event of a government shutdown, and all Post Offices will remain open for business as usual."
"Because we are an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars, our services will not be impacted by a government shutdown," it said.
? Saman Shafiq
Trump says Congress should eliminate debt ceiling
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said Congress should eliminate the debt ceiling, one day after the incoming president torpedoed a bipartisan deal hours earlier to fund the government before a looming shutdown heading into the end-of-year holidays.
Trump told NBC News in a phone interview that getting rid of the debt ceiling would be the "smartest thing it (Congress) could do," adding, "I would support that entirely.”
The debt ceiling, which caps the amount the federal government can borrow, had previously not been on the table during negotiations over a stopgap spending bill before Friday's midnight deadline to keep large parts of the U.S. government open.
A bipartisan deal reached earlier this week between House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democrats to fund the government through mid-March crumbled Wednesday after Trump came out against it and tech billionaire Elon Musk spent the day slamming the legislation on social media.
Republicans have balked at various add-ons in the 1,500-page bill, which includes pay increases for members of Congress, $100 billion in emergency relief and $21 billion for farmers who have experienced crop or livestock issues.
Trump now wants a clean spending bill passed without "Democrat giveaways," combined with increasing the debt ceiling – or getting rid of it – while President Joe Biden remains in the White House.
? Joey Garrison
Rand Paul calls for Musk to replace Speaker Johnson
Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul threw billionaire Elon Musk's name in the hat on Thursday to replace House Speaker Mike Johnson amidst the chaos on Capitol Hill.
"The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress," Paul said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Musk's social media platform. "Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk... think about it... nothing's impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka 'uniparty,' lose their ever-lovin' minds)."
Freedom Caucus member and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed her support on the platform, saying that "The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way."
Musk is not a member of Congress, and though all House speakers have been representatives, there is no rule saying that is a requirement.
? Sam Woodward
Trump weighs in on Fox and Friends
With just over two days until deadline came the death knell: President-elect Donald Trump told Fox and Friends he is "totally against" the funding extension.
"Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH," Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance said in a statement opposing the current proposal. "If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF."
Now House Republican leaders are scrambling for a plan B, potentially crafting a more bare-bones resolution that will win back enough support from their caucus. But if GOP members throw out the old version in favor of a cleaner funding extension, they risk losing backing from congressional Democrats who still control the Senate.
The process is already causing GOP rifts weeks before Trump is set to be sworn into office.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he spoke with Trump Wednesday evening on the phone and that 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.”
How likely is a government shutdown?
Following the backlash from Trump and others, Speaker Johnson, R-La., spent hours holed up in his office Wednesday, visited by a rotating door of fellow Republicans seeking a path forward.
Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., said the day had been "pretty crazy," upon exiting his meeting with Johnson.
“A lot of folks have had second thoughts (on the bill) and so now we gotta recalibrate,” he said.
Fellow Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole, appropriations chairman, did not answer repeated questions about the state of affairs while on his way into the speaker's office.
? Riley Beggin and Sudiksha Kochi
Democrats say they will not be bailing out their colleagues.
“House Republicans will now own any harm that is visited upon the American people from a government shutdown or worse,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters.
Any deal House Republicans cut will have to go through Senate Democrats — who have little incentive to agree to GOP demands, given they will have no negotiating power under the coming year’s Republican trifecta.
A group of Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee members huddled on the Senate floor with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Wednesday night, but members did not indicate what Democrats may be willing to agree to.
“Republicans have a hard time governing,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. “This just shows what we're gonna be dealing with over the next two years."
As of end of day Wednesday, Congress has 48 hours to find a way to keep the government funded and running.
? Savannah Kuchar
Lawmakers debate how to proceed
Key to Republicans' objections were the various add-ons, which Trump and Vance called "sweetheart provisions."
From health care reforms to congressional pay raises, the 1,547-page bill included a myriad of extra provisions that many in the GOP caucus have called on Johnson to remove.
But some Republicans say they don't want to see everything get slashed.
Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., says he won’t vote for the funding extension if it doesn’t have disaster funding in it.“To anybody who thinks disaster relief is pork, come to where I live,” he said.
The current proposed resolution includes about $100 billion in disaster aid.Graham added that the government spends a lot of money it shouldn’t, but “there’s a time for the government” when people have lost everything.“This is an absolute moral imperative to get money into the system to help these people get back on their feet.”
?Riley Beggin
What happens in a government shutdown?
Should Congress fail to agree on and pass a funding extension, America would face a government shutdown with wide-ranging impacts.
In that case, federal agencies except those determined to be "essential" ? such as the U.S. Postal Service, Medicare and Social Security ? would stop work.
Federal employees would be furloughed through a shutdown, while those "essential" workers continue to work unpaid with the promise of backpay at the conclusion of the shutdown. Government food assistance benefits will also be delayed and national parks will temporarily close.
The last time there was a holiday shutdown was also the last time there was any government shutdown. From December 2018 through January 2019, the government shutdown for 35 days under the first Trump administration.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chances of a government shutdown; furlough meaning: Replay