A Trump-backed spending bill failed to pass, leaving a possible US government shutdown

A spending bill sponsored by Donald Trump failed in the US House of Representatives on Thursday as a majority of Republicans defied the US president-elect, leaving Congress without a clear plan to prevent a fast-approaching government shutdown that could derail the Christmas season.

The vote exposed fault lines in the Trump Republican Party that are likely to reappear next year when its members gain control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.

Trump has pressed lawmakers to tie up loose ends before he takes office on January 20, but members of the party’s right wing have refused to back a package that would raise money and pave the way for a program that would add billions more to the federal government. $36 trillion US debt.

“It makes me very angry that a group that campaigns for fiscal preservation and has the decency to go to the American people and say they think this is fiscally responsible,” said Rep. Republican Rep. Chip Roy, one of the 38 Republicans who voted against the bill.

The package fails hours after compilation

The package failed by a vote of 174-235 hours after being put together by Republican leaders seeking to comply with Trump’s demands. The previously bipartisan deal was scuttled after Trump and the world’s richest man Elon Musk came out against it on Wednesday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson did not provide details when reporters asked him about next steps after the failed vote.

“We will come up with another solution,” he said.

Government funding is expected to end at midnight on Friday. If lawmakers fail to extend that deadline, the US government will begin a partial shutdown that will disrupt funding for everything from border enforcement to national parks and cut the paychecks of more than 2 million federal workers.

The US Transportation Security Administration has warned that travelers during the busy holiday season could face long lines at airports.

The bill that failed Thursday is very similar to an earlier version that Musk and Trump had blasted as a wasteful donation to Democrats. It would extend federal funding in March and provide $100 billion in disaster relief and debt relief. Republicans scrapped other items that were included in the original package, such as a pay raise for lawmakers and new rules for pharmacy benefit managers.

At Trump’s urging, the new version would also suspend the national debt ceiling for two years – a move that would make it easier to pass the dramatic tax cuts he has promised.

Before the vote, Johnson told reporters that the package would avoid disruptions, tie up loose ends and make it easier for lawmakers to cut spending by hundreds of billions of dollars when Trump takes office next year.

“The government is very big, it does many things, and there are few things it does well,” he said.

Democrats criticized the bill

Democrats dismissed the bill as a cover for budget-busting tax cuts that would largely benefit the wealthy like Musk, while saddling the country with billions of dollars in additional debt.

“How dare you teach America about fiscal responsibility,?” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during the debate.

Even if the bill had passed the House, it would have faced disagreement in the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats. The White House said US President Joe Biden does not support it.

Previous disputes over the debt ceiling have damaged financial markets, as a default by the US government could send a debt shock around the world. The limit is set under an agreement that technically expires on Jan. 1, although lawmakers likely won’t have to deal with the issue before spring.

If he returns to office, Trump intends to enact tax cuts that could reduce revenue by $8 trillion over 10 years, which will increase the debt without reducing spending. He vowed not to cut retirement and health benefits for seniors, which make up the bulk of the budget and are expected to grow dramatically in the coming years.

The last government shutdowns occurred in December 2018 and January 2019 during Trump’s first term in the White House.

The unrest also threatened to topple Johnson, a moderate Louisianan who was abruptly thrust into the speaker’s office last year after the party’s right wing voted against then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy on a federal funding bill. Johnson has had to turn repeatedly to Democrats for help in passing legislation when he can’t bring the votes to his party.

He tried to do the same on Thursday, but failed.

Several Republicans have said they will not vote for Johnson as speaker when Congress returns in January, potentially setting up another tumultuous leadership battle in the weeks before Trump takes office.