From AF Times:
“Government
funding bill clears Congress, averting a shutdown”
Facing a
government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early
Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations
and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt
limit increase into the new year. House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted
Congress would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to
shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day’s outcome was
uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling
increase be included in any deal — if not, he said in an early morning post,
let the closures “start now.”
The House
approved Johnson's new bill overwhelmingly, 366-34. The Senate worked into the
night to pass it, 85-11, just past the deadline. At midnight, the White House
said it had ceased shutdown preparations. Government workers had previously
been told to prepare for a federal shutdown that would send millions of
employees — and members of the military — into the holiday season without
paychecks. Plans to avert a partial government shutdown starting this weekend
appeared scuttled after President-elect Donald Trump opposed the bipartisan
deal. “This is a good outcome for the country,” Johnson said after the House
vote, adding he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect “was certainly
happy about this outcome, as well.” President Joe Biden, who has played a less
public role in the process throughout a turbulent week, was expected to sign
the measure into law Saturday. “There will be no government shutdown,” Senate
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
The final
product was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to
achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government — keeping it
open. And it raised stark questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep
his job, in the face of angry GOP colleagues, and work alongside Trump and
billionaire ally Elon Musk, who called the legislative plays from afar.
Trump's
last-minute demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no
choice but to work around his pressure for a debt ceiling increase. The speaker
knew there wouldn’t be enough support within the GOP majority to pass any
funding package, since many Republican deficit hawks prefer to slash federal
government and certainly wouldn’t allow more debt. Instead, the Republicans,
who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate next year, with
big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely
rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations
of governing. “So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?” scoffed Musk
on social media ahead of the vote.
The
drastically slimmed-down 118-page package would fund the government at current
levels through March 14 and add $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in
agricultural assistance to farmers. Gone is Trump’s demand to lift the debt
ceiling, which GOP leaders told lawmakers would be debated as part of their tax
and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake
agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $2.5 trillion
in spending over 10 years. It’s essentially the same deal that flopped the
night before in a spectacular setback opposed by most Democrats and some of the
most conservative Republicans — minus Trump’s debt ceiling demand. But it's far
smaller than the original bipartisan accord Johnson struck with Democratic and
Republican leaders — a 1,500-page bill that Trump and Musk rejected, forcing
him to start over. It was stuffed with a long list of other bills — including
much-derided pay raises for lawmakers — but also other measures with broad
bipartisan support that now have a tougher path to becoming law.
House
Democrats were cool to the latest effort after Johnson reneged on the
hard-fought bipartisan compromise. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the
Appropriations Committee, said it looked like Musk, the wealthiest man in the
world, was calling the shots for Trump and Republicans. “Who is in charge?” she
asked during the debate. Still, the Democrats put up more votes than
Republicans for the bill’s passage. Almost three dozen conservative Republicans
voted against it. “The House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA
Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting
working-class Americans all across the nation,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem
Jeffries said after the vote, referring to Trump's “Make America Great Again”
slogan. VA leaders had asked for roughly $6.6 billion in extra funding for
FY25, and said they could face problems with hiring and programs without it.
Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the new Department of Government Efficiency. The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and fire thousands of employees and is counting on Republicans for a big tax package. And Trump’s not fearful of shutdowns the way lawmakers are, having sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House. “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now,” Trump posted early in the morning on social media. More important for the president-elect was his demand for pushing the thorny debt ceiling debate off the table before he returns to the White House.
The federal debt limit expires Jan. 1, and Trump
doesn’t want the first months of his new administration saddled with tough
negotiations in Congress to lift the nation’s borrowing capacity. Now Johnson
will be on the hook to deliver. “Congress must get rid of, or extend out to,
perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” Trump posted — increasing his
demand for a new five-year debt limit increase. “Without this, we should never
make a deal.” Biden has been in discussions with Jeffries and Schumer, but
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “Republicans blew up this
deal. They did, and they need to fix this.” As the day dragged on, Senate
Republican Leader Mitch McConnell stepped in to remind colleagues “how harmful
it is to shut the government down, and how foolish it is to bet your own side
won’t take the blame for it.” At one point, Johnson asked House Republicans at
a lunchtime meeting for a show of hands as they tried to choose the path
forward. It wasn’t just the shutdown, but the speaker’s job on the line. The
speaker’s election is the first vote of the new Congress, which convenes Jan.
3, and some Trump allies have floated Musk for speaker. Johnson said he spoke
to Musk ahead of the vote Friday and they talked about the “extraordinary
challenges of this job.”
The Federal Government
won’t Shutdown for now, but the drama continues on March 14, 2025. ^
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