Republicans in the US Congress voted on Thursday for a new spending package that would avert a looming government shutdown, this time with the support of President-elect Donald Trump, who defeated an earlier bipartisan version.
It was unclear whether the measure would survive an evening vote in the House of Representatives.
House Democrats emerged from a closed-door meeting and said they would vote against the bill, which their leader Hakeem Jeffries called ridiculous.
Republicans control the chamber by a 219-211 majority, meaning they could lose no more than three votes if Democrats united against the bill. Representative Rich McCormick, a Republican, predicted that at least 10% of his party would vote against it.
Democrats also currently control the Senate, and would need Democratic President Joe Biden’s support to sign the package into law and prevent a shutdown starting Saturday.
If lawmakers fail to meet that deadline, the U.S. government would begin a partial shutdown, disrupting funding for everything from border enforcement to law enforcement in the days before Christmas and 2 More than a million federal employees will get pay cuts. The US Transportation Security Administration warned that travelers could face long lines at airports.
Trump urged lawmakers to vote for the package. The incoming president has demanded that lawmakers resolve lingering issues before he takes office on Jan. 20.
“Now we can make America great again very quickly,” Trump said in a statement.
The new package will fund government operations for three months as long as Trump is in the White House and Republicans control both houses of Congress, according to sources familiar with the package. It would also provide $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural aid and extend agriculture and food aid programs that were set to expire at the end of the year.
It does not include other elements that were included in the original package, such as pay raises for legislators and new rules for pharmacy benefit managers.
The package would also suspend the debt ceiling through January 2027, paving the way to add trillions of dollars to the $36 trillion federal debt.
Trump’s acceptance of the deal marks a softening of his earlier demand that Congress completely eliminate the debt ceiling before he returns to office.
Previous battles over the debt ceiling have spooked financial markets, fearing that a US government default would shock credit around the world. The limit is suspended under an agreement that technically expires on Jan. 1, though lawmakers won’t likely tackle the issue until the spring.
Democrats said Trump and his Republicans were trying to clear a roadblock to pro-budget tax cuts.
“This is to give them room to cut taxes for the wealthiest people in America,” Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer told reporters.
When he returns to office, Trump aims to pass tax cuts that could reduce revenues by $8 trillion over 10 years, which would increase the debt without spending cuts. He has vowed not to reduce retirement and health benefits for seniors that make up a large portion of the budget and are projected to grow dramatically in the coming years.
Many Republicans have previously said they have no interest in getting rid of the debt ceiling if it doesn’t cut spending.
“You know, it’s like limiting your credit card limit while you don’t actually do anything to limit spending,” Representative Chip Roy told reporters.
The last government shutdown occurred in December 2018 and January 2019 during Trump’s first White House term.
