The US could face a government shutdown at midnight on Saturday after President-elect Donald Trump urged Republican lawmakers to reject a bipartisan funding bill that would have kept the government funded through March.
Trump called on Congress to scrap the agreement and pass a slimmer version with fewer provisions. His intervention was followed by strong criticism of the bill from tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Congressman Steve Scalise, Republican House Majority Leader, suggested Wednesday evening that the bill was dead after Trump rejected it.
The short-term funding bill must be passed by Congress by the end of the week to prevent federal government offices from remaining closed starting Saturday.
Now the Republican leadership must go back to the drawing board and only has until 11:59 p.m. EDT (04:59 GMT) to reach an agreement before funding runs out and the government shuts down.
A government shutdown would cause federal services — from the National Park Service to the Border Patrol — to limit operations and begin shutting down this weekend.
Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance delivered the final blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisan funding bill on Wednesday evening after Mr. Musk led a pressure campaign against X.
Mr. Musk, whom Trump has tasked with cutting government spending in his incoming administration, has lobbied heavily against the existing deal and repeatedly posted against the bill on Wednesday, often with false statements.
The president and vice president-elect are pushing for simplified legislation that does not include the Democratic-backed provisions that Johnson negotiated with his colleagues on the other side.
The now-dead bipartisan deal would have extended government funding through March 14 — several months after Trump returns to the White House.
The legislation is necessary because Congress never passed a budget for fiscal year 2025, which began Oct. 1. Instead, lawmakers opted for a short-term extension of funding through December 20th.
In a joint statement, they also called on Congress to raise the debt ceiling, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills, and to limit funding legislation to temporary spending and disaster relief.
“Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief and prepare our country for success in 2025. The only way to achieve this is a temporary funding law WITHOUT DEMOCRATIC GIVEAWAYS, combined with an increase in the debt ceiling,” the statement read.
Anything else they called “treason against our country.”
In posts on his social media page Truth Social, Trump threatened to help “cancel any Republican who would be foolish enough to vote for the current version of the bill” introduced Tuesday.
“When Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then you’re calling their bluff,” he said.
Johnson’s 1,500-page continuing resolution included more than $110 billion (£88 billion) in disaster relief and $30 billion (£23 billion) in aid for farmers. They also included the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009, federal funding to rebuild a bridge that collapsed in Baltimore, health care reforms and regulations aimed at protecting hotels and live event venues from misleading advertising.
It is unclear how Johnson plans to proceed. Both parties will meet on Thursday to decide on their party’s future path.
Democrats are unlikely to support Johnson in supporting a revised funding bill, blaming him for breaking their bipartisan agreement.
“If you break the bipartisan agreement, you will face the consequences,” House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on X.
After Trump spoke out against the bill, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement: “Republicans must stop playing politics with this bipartisan agreement or they will harm hard-working Americans and create instability in the country entire country.”
“Triggering a damaging government shutdown would hurt families,” President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman continued, adding: “A deal is a deal. Republicans should keep their word.”
Over the past five decades, the U.S. has experienced 21 government shutdowns or partial shutdowns – the longest of which occurred during Trump’s first term, when the government was closed for 35 days.
