The 1,547-page interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown is effectively dead. Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-La.) virtually gutted the plan after President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect Vance and Elon Musk torched the package to prevent a government shutdown this weekend and March 14 to be financed.
Had House Republicans If they had had the votes to pass the bill — without leaning too heavily on Democrats — Republicans could have passed the bill late Wednesday afternoon, before the madam’s intervention. Trump and Vance. But there was just too much grassroots pressure, fueled by Musk at X and elsewhere.
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The relief package proved unpopular due to its size, and several legislative ornaments adorned the bill like a Christmas tree. Conservatives expected Johnson would handle the spending plan differently this year during the holidays. But it backfired. Bad.
It’s notable that Mr. Trump didn’t weigh in until 11 p.m. He also demanded an increase in the debt ceiling. That’s something the president-elect faced in the first quarter of the year and threatened to derail any legislative agenda or potentially spook the markets.
Johnson’s decision to deviate from course – despite warmly touting the bill to Fox this morning – underlines several things.
President-elect Donald Trump reacts during his meeting with Prince William, Prince of Wales, at the United Kingdom Embassy residence on December 7, 2024 in Paris, France. (Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)
This is a sign of things to come one day President-elect Trump sits in the office. And that could cause problems for Johnson, as he may be dependent on the decisions of the new president?
Why did Johnson withdraw the bill?
It was hugely unpopular with his supporters. But it evolved further when Musk and the newly elected president themselves became infused.
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In many ways, Johnson’s decision to withdraw the bill had everything to do with January 3. That is the day on which the chairman votes. With 434 members to start with new CongressJohnson needs 218 votes. Otherwise he will not have a majority and cannot become chairman. The House of Representatives must vote repeatedly — as it did in January 2023 — before electing former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) five days later in what was the longest presidential race since the 1850s.
Johnson tried to redeem himself during the Speaker’s vote by adding emergency agricultural spending to the bill. But Johnson is now trying to save himself by coming up with a new bill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) listens during a press conference after the Republican conference at the Capitol on January 17, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
The irony is that Johnson did not want to create drama with a spending package before Christmas. But drama is exactly what he got in what quickly became the worst congressional holiday standoff since the 2012 fiscal cliff or the threat of a government shutdown in 2014.
So here’s the $64,000 question: Which play does Johnson call next?
Is he doing a clean CR to fund the government with no strings attached? Is it a bill that just increases current funding tied to disaster relief? Will they suspend the debt ceiling, as President-elect Trump has requested?
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And then the biggest question of all: can anything pass at all? Especially without voices of the Democrats?
Johnson has a group of conservatives who will not vote for any CR at all. Many of them would also not vote for an increase in the debt ceiling.
And even if a new bill comes along, will Conservatives insist on waiting three days to consider that bill? That leads to a government shutdown.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Monday, November 11, 2024. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The deadline is Friday 11:59:59 PM ET.
This requires 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 that led to the longest government shutdown in history.
Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), then-Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and others thought they had a deal to fund the government and avoid a Christmas shutdown. prevent.
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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 declined at the last minute. House Republicans followed suit. The government has been closed for over a month.
