Trump calls for streamlined spending bill amid threat of government shutdown
The 1,547-page interim spending bill to avoid a government shutdown is effectively dead.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., all but scrapped the plan after President Trump, Vice President-elect Vance and Elon Musk torched the package to avoid a government shutdown this weekend and fund the government through March 14.
Had House Republicans had the votes to pass the bill — without leaning too heavily on Democrats — Republicans might have been able to pass the bill late Wednesday afternoon, before Ms. Trump and Vance. But there was just too much grassroots pressure, unleashed by Musk at X and elsewhere.
The spending package proved unpopular due to its size, and various legislative ornaments adorned the bill like a Christmas tree. Conservatives expected Johnson to handle the spending plan differently this holiday season. But it backfired. Bad.
It is noteworthy that Mr. Trump didn’t weigh in until the 11th hour. He also demanded an increase in the debt ceiling. It’s something that faced the president-elect in the first quarter of the year and threatened to derail any legislative agenda or potentially spook the markets.
Johnson’s decision to veer off course — despite warmly touting the bill on Fox Wednesday morning — underscores several things.
This is a sign of things to come once President-elect Trump is in office. And it could cause problems for Johnson as he could be because of the decisions of the new president?
Why did Johnson withdraw the bill?
It was wildly unpopular among his ranks. But it was further developed when Musk and the president-elect got themselves infused.
In many respects, Johnson’s decision to withdraw the bill was only about January 3rd. It is the day of the chairman’s vote. With 434 members to start the new Congress, Johnson needs 218 votes. Otherwise, he lacks a majority and cannot become chairman. The House must vote repeatedly — as it did in January 2023 — before five days later electing former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in what was the longest presidential race since the 1850s.
Johnson tried to save himself in the Speaker’s vote by adding emergency agriculture spending to the bill. But Johnson is now trying to save himself by coming up with a new bill.
The irony is that Johnson did not want to create drama before Christmas with a spending package. But drama is exactly what he got in what quickly became the worst congressional recess standoff since the 2012 fiscal policy or a 2014 government shutdown threat.
So here’s the $64,000 question: What play will Johnson call next?
Is he doing a pure CR to fund the government with nothing attached? Is it a bill that simply restores current funding combined with disaster relief? Do they include a suspension of the debt ceiling that President-elect Trump has requested?
And then the biggest question of all: Can ANYTHING even pass? Especially without votes from the Democrats?
Johnson has a section of conservatives who will not vote for any CR at all. Many of them would not vote for an increase in the debt ceiling either.
And even if there is a new bill, do conservatives insist on waiting three days to consider that bill? That triggers a government shutdown right there.
Deadline is Friday 11:59:59 PM ET.
So this is going to require someone to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
President-elect Trump’s maneuver today is reminiscent of a similar move he made in December 2019, which triggered the longest government shutdown in history.
Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., then-Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and others believed they had a deal to fund the government and avoid a Christmastime shutdown.
The Senate voted in favor of the bill. Senators even sat in the back of the room and sang Christmas carols during the vote.
Mr. Trump then balked at the last minute. House Republicans followed suit. The government shut down for more than a month