The Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday rejected Donald Trump’s new plan to defund federal jobs and prevent a government shutdown.
A total of 38 Republican lawmakers voted against the package, even though they were under pressure to approve the new plan.
The package would boost spending and pave the way for a plan that would add trillions of dollars to the federal government’s $36 trillion (€34.74 trillion) debt.
Congress now has until Friday night to present another plan that both Republicans and Democrats agree on.
The shutdown is scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Trump and Musk foiled previous plan
A bipartisan spending plan was rejected by Trump and key ally Elon Musk on Wednesday.
That left Republicans scrambling to come up with a replacement plan to avert a shutdown before a Friday deadline.
Trump said earlier Thursday that he supports the replacement plan that would suspend the debt ceiling — the maximum the federal government can borrow to pay its expenses — for two years.
House Democrats have made it known they are going to vote against the bill, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling Plan B “ridiculous.”
Trump claimed ‘success’ of new plan
Earlier in the day, Trump had called on Congress to avoid a shutdown, saying he had “success” in crafting a new plan to fund the government.
“Success in Washington! Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have made a great deal for the American people,” Trump posted on social media.
But Democrats hit back at the new deal. Jeffries said before the vote, “…the proposal is not serious, it’s ridiculous. Extreme MAGA Republicans are taking us toward a government shutdown.”
Republicans currently control the House with a slim majority of 219-211.
Musk and Trump apply pressure
Republican and Democratic leaders reached an agreement on a so-called stopgap bill, known as a “continuing resolution,” to keep the government funded until mid-March 2025.
But Trump’s billionaire donor Elon Musk attacked the bill on the social media platform he owns, X, increasing criticism of the many expensive commissions included in the bill.
Later, Trump himself attacked the agreement and threatened the re-election prospects of Republicans who were thinking of supporting it. The newly elected President also demands that the country’s debt limit be increased or relieved in the bill.
What’s in the deal?
Republicans struggled to introduce a new bill that would be in line with Trump’s preferences. The new package would finance government operations for three months, provide $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural aid, extending agriculture and food aid programs that were set to expire at the end of the year.
The bill eliminates elements in the original package that Musk and other opponents objected to, such as pay raises for legislators and new rules for pharmacy benefit managers.
The most surprising part of the package is the suspension of the debt ceiling until January 2027, which could clear the way for adding trillions of dollars to the already $36 trillion federal debt.
rm, jcg/jsi (Reuters, AP, AFP)
