WASHINGTON (AP) — Hours before the federal government shutdown begins, President-elect Donald Trump on Friday said any deal would include raising the debt ceiling or the shutdown “should start now.” doubled his claim.
With President Trump not yet in the White House, House Speaker Mike Johnson arrived at the Capitol early in the morning and immediately aligned himself with the most conservative Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus, who helped defeat the Trump bill. The latest demands were issued when the Great Thursday night failure. The clock is now ticking towards the midnight deadline to fund government operations.
President Trump posted on social media: “If there’s going to be a government shutdown, let’s start it now.”
Trump is not afraid of a government shutdown, as much as Johnson and other members of Congress see it as a political loser that harms the lives of Americans. The incoming Trump administration has vowed to cut the federal budget and lay off thousands of employees. Trump himself caused the longest government shutdown in history during his first term in the White House, lasting a month over the 2018-2019 Christmas holidays and New Year’s.
More important to the president-elect is his demand that the thorny debt ceiling debate be taken off the table before he returns to the White House. The federal debt ceiling is set to expire on January 1, but President Trump does not want to spend the first months of his new administration busy negotiating tough negotiations in Congress to increase the nation’s borrowing capacity. This will give influence to the Democratic Party, which will be in the minority next year.
“Congress needs to either repeal the ridiculous debt ceiling, or maybe extend it until 2029,” President Trump wrote in a post, stepping up his calls for a five-year increase in the debt ceiling. “If you don’t have this, you should never close a deal.”
Mr Johnson is fighting behind closed doors to prevent the shutdown, but his influence is limited. Mr. Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk unleashed an army of opponents and social media on the initial plan laid out by Mr. Johnson. The 1,500-page bipartisan compromise Mr. Johnson agreed with Democrats that included $100 billion in disaster relief for hard-hit states never materialized. It does not address the debt ceiling situation.
A second plan backed by President Trump, a slimmed-down 116-page bill that includes his preferred two-year debt ceiling increase by 2027, was defeated in a landslide on Thursday, with only a few votes counted in the evening. of Democrats rejected the measure as a lackluster effort, but about 30 other bills were also rejected. Republicans who refuse to run the country deeper into the deficit.
On Friday morning, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance arrived early at the Speaker’s Office on Capitol Hill, where a group of the Republican Party’s most staunch opponents were meeting with Johnson. Speakers advocated finding a way forward.
Government officials have already been told to prepare for a federal government shutdown and millions of employees and military personnel going into the holiday season without pay.
“Welcome to the MAGA swamp,” tweeted House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“That’s why our country is on the brink of what will likely be the longest government shutdown in history, destroying our economy and hurting working-class Americans.”
Democrats will hold the Senate majority for several more weeks, but they are trying to move forward with the original package, a bipartisan compromise that Johnson, Jeffries and Senate leaders negotiated earlier this week. There is an argument to be made. It will be difficult, but not impossible.
“We can’t let Elon Musk run our government, so we’re prepared to stay here until Christmas,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chair of the Appropriations Committee, which was instrumental in the original deal. ” he said. “We have a bipartisan agreement and we should stick to it.”
President Joe Biden has played little public role in debates as he enters his final weeks in office, drawing criticism from President Trump and Republicans who have sought to shift blame for the government shutdown onto Biden. .
Mr. Johnson faces major challenges in keeping the government running, appeasing Mr. Trump and protecting his own jobs.
The speaker’s election is the first vote in the new Congress, which convenes on January 3, and Mr. Johnson will need the support of nearly every House Republican majority to ensure he retains the gavel. Democrats will likely vote for Jeffries.
His danger became clear Thursday when the speaker twisted in Washington. At Turning Point USA’s America Fest conservative rally, Trump ally Stephen Bannon incited thousands of activists with chilling remarks about the Louisiana Republican.
“Obviously, Johnson is not up to the task. He has to go,” Bannon said, drawing cheers. He smiled at that answer, tilted his head, and said: “President Trump? These are your people.”
Outside the chairman’s office, next steps were unclear.
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), former Freedom Caucus chairman, came out and said he would be surprised if there was a vote Friday on the way forward. Shortly afterward, Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert said Republicans were making progress and Vance’s presence on the floor was helping move things toward a resolution.
“I think President Trump probably sold a bad bill yesterday,” the Colorado congressman said. “I didn’t want to see President Trump’s original request fail in the House.”
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