Trump-backed bill to keep US government running fails to pass

The US House of Representatives voted against a funding measure backed by Donald Trump, bringing a government shutdown one step closer this weekend.

A revised spending plan failed to reach the required two-thirds majority in the lower house of Congress, with 38 Republicans voting against the bill Thursday night, defying the president-elect.

Trump had thwarted a previous multi-party funding deal that the House Republican leadership reached with Democrats, after sharp criticism of the measure by tech billionaire Elon Musk.

After the bill failed 174-235, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would find another solution Friday before government funding expires at midnight.

The replacement bill approved by Trump would have tied government funding to a two-year suspension of the federal debt ceiling, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills.

Republican rebels opposed it because they oppose increased government spending, while Democrats voted against it because they believed the additional borrowing would be used to give tax cuts to the wealthy. .

Here are five things to know about the possible government shutdown:

The impending government shutdown dates back to September, as a new budget deadline loomed.

Johnson failed to secure a six-month funding extension. Most Democrats voted against the expansion, which included a measure (the SAVE Act) requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

Instead, Congress reached a bipartisan agreement on a simple bill that would keep the government funded through December 20.

Johnson pledged at his Republican conference next December, when funding was set to expire, that he would not have to vote on an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink spending bill before the holidays.

But when congressional leaders released the text of the latest spending bill on Tuesday, three days before lawmakers recess, it ran to 1,547 pages.

The bill would have extended government funding until March 14, nearly three months after Trump returns to the White House.

It included more than $110 billion (£88 billion) in emergency disaster aid and $30 billion in aid to farmers; the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009; federal funds to rebuild a collapsed bridge in Baltimore; health care reforms; and provisions to prevent hotels and live event venues from engaging in misleading advertising.

Some Republicans criticized Johnson for abandoning a more fundamental spending bill, specifically condemning left-leaning provisions negotiated to gain Democratic support.

Johnson defended the deal, blaming “acts of God” for needing some of the added provisions, like disaster aid and assistance to farmers.

Yet opposition to Johnson's spending deal grew on Wednesday.

Musk, who was tasked by Trump with identifying spending cuts by co-leading the Department of Government Effectiveness (which is not an official government department), lobbied hard against the existing agreement with dozens of posts on X.

He called it “criminal” and often referenced false statements about the bill in his posts.

Musk wrote on X that any lawmaker “who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years.”

After Musk stirred up opposition to the spending bill, Trump and JD Vance, the new vice president, delivered the final blow to Johnson's deal that evening.

They said in a joint statement that they wanted simplified legislation without the Democratic-backed provisions included by Johnson.

They also called on Congress to raise or eliminate 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.

They called anything else a “betrayal of our country.”

Johnson and House Republicans introduced the simplified legislation on Thursday, which then failed in a vote that evening. It's unclear what they will do next.

Lawmakers are not expected to vote again on Thursday, meaning they will return Friday morning with less than 24 hours before a possible shutdown.

But it is clear that the partisan blame game is in full swing. After Thursday's bill was defeated, Johnson told reporters it was “very disappointing” that almost all House Democrats voted against it.

“It is, I think, really irresponsible of us to risk a shutdown on these issues and on things that they have already agreed on,” he said.

Johnson will likely need support from Democrats, especially as divisions within his own party over the bill became clear this week.

But Democrats are unlikely to help Johnson by supporting a revamped funding bill, blaming him for breaking their bipartisan agreement.

“You break the bipartisan agreement, you take responsibility for the consequences that come with that,” Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on X, which is owned by Musk.

And others appeared to taunt Republicans because they seemed to be taking their cues from the unelected Mr. Musk.

On Thursday, in the House of Representatives, Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro – the House's top Democrat – referred to the billionaire as “President Musk,” to the laughter of her Democratic colleagues.

“President Musk said 'don't do it, shut down the government,'” she said.

Still, Johnson must find a way to win over Democrats in order to pass a spending bill, especially when pent-up anger within his own caucus is about to boil over.

Time is also running out. These negotiations usually take weeks.

Federal agencies rely on annual funding to operate. When Congress fails to pass the 12 spending bills that make up the spending budget, these agencies must shut down their non-essential functions.

Essential services – such as border protection, hospital medical care, law enforcement and air traffic control – continue to operate.

But many federal employees are at risk of not being paid.

While Social Security and Medicare checks are being mailed, benefit verification and card issuance stops. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is required, but food stamp benefits may be affected by a closure. This could cause delays for similar aid programs.

Other agencies are shutting down operations entirely.

The Food and Drug Administration is stopping food safety inspections, the Environmental Protection Agency is stopping inspections, and national parks are close to visitors.

It was the first big test of Trump's influence over current congressional Republicans, and in Thursday's vote, a number of them balked.

This also poses a challenge to President Johnson, as the House must vote in just 15 days to determine who will be Speaker of the House for the next Congress.

What once looked like a secure position for Johnson now seems less secure.

Faced with negative reactions from Trump and Mr. Musk, the Louisiana Republican is now under the control of his own party over his management of government funding.

Several Republicans have indicated they would not vote for Johnson to lead the chamber. He cannot afford to lose the support of many Republicans, given that the party holds a slim majority of just five seats in the next Congress.

The threat to Johnson is serious, given the Republicans' recent history.

In January 2023, California Republican Kevin McCarthy went through 15 rounds of voting before winning the presidency.

Just ten months later, he was ousted by Republicans, who criticized him for failing to cut spending and working with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.