House rejects Trump-backed GOP funding deal that would prevent government shutdown
Lawmakers have until 11:59 p.m. Friday to keep the government open.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - A Republican-negotiated plan to fund the federal government has failed to pass the House.
The vote, 235-174. There needed to be two-thirds of members supporting the bill for it to pass.
The proposal was brought to the floor the same day it was worked out by House Republican leadership. The idea was similar to the bipartisan agreement made by Democratic and Republican congressional leaders over the weekend.
It called for keeping the lights on for three months, $110 billion in disaster relief, and $10 billion in aid for farmers. However, it also included suspending the country’s debit limit for two years.
That part was put in after President-elect Donald Trump demanded it be included. Trump and billionaire Elon Musk torpedoed the original bipartisan deal.
House leaders spoke prior to the vote about the latest proposal.
“Even though this vote would push the debt limit to 2027, it in no way reflects any lack of enthusiasm on our part to get about those serious cuts for the American people. We have to have fiscal responsibility as a core principle of our party,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
“We’ve laid out the challenges with this bill, the phoniness and claiming that extreme MAGA Republicans are about working class Americans, are the party of fiscal responsibility. Nothing could be further from the truth,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “President Biden supports the bipartisan agreement to keep the government open, help communities recovering from disasters, and lower costs—not this giveaway for billionaires that Republicans are proposing at the 11th hour.”
Lawmakers have one more day to figure the funding issue out before the government shuts down on Saturday.
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