Trump-backed budget plan fails as federal shutdown looms
The House of Representatives voted Thursday evening against a budget stopgap proposal backed by Donald Trump. If Congress does not pass a new provisional budget, a so-called shutdown and most federal institutions' closures will begin on Saturday.
According to The Washington Post, Donald Trump surprised lawmakers in Washington by calling for the suspension or complete abolishment of the federal debt limit. He demanded last-minute negotiations to avoid a government shutdown this weekend and urged Republicans in Congress to eliminate the debt ceiling, the law limiting the amount of borrowing the federal government can undertake. However, these appeals did not succeed, and the debt limit remained unchanged.
On Thursday, members of Congress voted on the budget stopgap proposal. The proposal, which required a two-thirds majority in the House for expedited adoption, did not even receive the support of a simple majority. Almost all Democrats and 38 Republicans voted against it.
The stopgap measure, developed among Republicans with the support of President-elect Trump, proposed a three-month extension of the current budget, $150 billion CAD in aid for hurricane-affected regions, subsidies for farmers, and a two-year suspension of the debt limit.
Risk of a shutdown
The failure of the proposal significantly increases the risk of a shutdown, as the current budget expires on Friday. This "procedure" and political wrangling in Congress over the budget occur each year.
Although most of the shutdown's effects will not be felt until Monday, since many federal institutions don't operate over the weekend, it may result in longer airport screenings during some of the busiest travel days right before the holidays. Both parties have already started blaming each other for this situation.
Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that the party would hold further discussions on resolving the issue. It is uncertain whether they will have enough time, as the project needs to be voted on by both houses of Congress and signed by the President by midnight Friday (Eastern Time).
Trump and Musk threatened congressmen
Thursday's failure is a consequence of Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk torpedoing the previous budget stopgap proposal established in a bipartisan compromise.
Many provisions unrelated to the bill were added to that legislation, including limiting American investments in China and funds for research on medicines for children's cancer. This triggered a storm of criticism aimed primarily at Trump advisor Musk and a pay raise for congressmen.
Trump and Musk threatened all congressmen who were set to support the proposal with efforts to have them removed from their positions.
