Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Republicans to reject a bipartisan plan aimed at averting a government shutdown, leaving Congress in trouble as lawmakers prepare to go home for the holiday season.
The about-face means Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans will have to try to renegotiate a new deal or face a shutdown when federal funding expires on Friday.
Trump and incoming Vice President J.D. Vance issued a statement Wednesday calling on Republicans to “be smart and tough.”
“If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, screw them,” the statement said, adding that any concessions Would be seen as a “betrayal of our country”.
The latest move angered Democrats by Trump, who had suggested raising the debt ceiling to avert a crisis – something his party has consistently criticized.
Democrat – ‘You break it, the consequences are your own’
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said: “House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt the working people they claim to support,” adding, “You break the bipartisan agreement. You are responsible for the consequences that follow.”
GOP support for the bill had already begun to wane before Trump arrived, with far-right lawmaker and billionaire Trump funder and unelected government influencer Elon Musk threatening any Republican who supported Democrats to keep the government running. Had the courage to work with.
Musk — who was appointed by Trump to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which would, among other things, give the world’s richest man the power to cut funding for government oversight and regulation — he wrote on the social media platform. The owner wrote on the X: “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
The so-called continuing resolution, or CR, currently on the table would temporarily extend funding through March 14, 2025. The move is necessary as lawmakers failed to pass legislation to keep it running normally during his tenure.
Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland criticized the latest example of Republican brinksmanship, saying this is what happens when “an oligarchy of a handful of rich people run everything and everyone has to live in fear of them and their property”. Becomes an instrument of power over everything.”
js/jsi (AFP, AP)
