WASHINGTON – Only a few hours until the Federal Government begins switch off Due to a lack of funds, Republicans in the House of Representatives plan to vote on it on Friday finance the government for three months and provide disaster relief and agricultural aid.
But to pass the full House before the midnight shutdown deadline, the bill, released late Friday afternoon, needs significant Democratic support. There also needs to be a realistic path to passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he was determined to avoid a shutdown that could jeopardize the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of federal workers just days before Christmas.
“We will not have a government shutdown,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol on Friday afternoon. “We will fulfill our commitments to our farmers who need assistance and disaster victims across the country and ensure that military and essential services, as well as everyone who relies on a federal government paycheck, are paid through the holidays.”
It wasn’t clear how Democrats were doing under the minority leader’s leadership Hakeem JeffriesDN.Y., would respond to the standalone bill. But the early signs were encouraging.
“This is a bill that may have the confidence of enough Democrats to help the House speaker push the bill through,” Rep. James Clyburn, D-N.C., a longtime party leader, said on “Deadline White House.” ” from MSNBC.
According to Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News, Jeffries told a group of politically vulnerable Democrats earlier in the day that he hoped to resolve the standoff.
The vote would cap several days of chaos on Capitol Hill as Johnson tried to meet President-elect Donald Trump’s demands – but failed.
Trump and his billionaire campaign donors Elon MuskTesla’s CEO on Wednesday doomed an initial, negotiated financing plan by sharply criticizing its provisions, leaving Republicans struggling to find something for most of Thursday a backup plan.
Specifically, Trump insisted that any agreement to keep the government open must include a two-year suspension of the U.S. debt limit. The limit is the maximum amount the federal government can borrow to pay its expenses.
The debt ceiling is a recurring, bitter debate in Washington every few years, in which the political party in the minority typically has a lot of influence. Trump seems keen to avoid this fight as he begins his second term.
But authorizing the United States to borrow more money goes too far for many conservative Republicans.
This was evident on Thursday The invoiceThe law, which provided for minimal government funding and an increase in the debt ceiling, was clearly rejected. In addition to almost all Democrats, there were 38 ordinary Republicans who voted against it it, according to her The party leader had publicly supported the deal.
If Friday’s efforts to avert a shutdown are successful, it will remind Trump how difficult it is to control the notoriously divided House Republican caucus.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
