A budget bill urgently negotiated by Republicans to approve a temporary budget and prevent a government shutdown tonight at midnight was rejected in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Both Democrats and some Republicans voted against the bill, which included provisions, among others, to lift the debt ceiling until 2027.
Originally, a bipartisan agreement on the budget had been reached in Congress, which would have funded the government until March of next year, but both elected President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk rejected it. VOA correspondent Katherine Gypson reports.
Lawmakers are running out of time to pass a government funding bill, as the midnight deadline on Friday signals the risk of a shutdown of federal agencies.
“It’s a long process. Sometimes it takes a little time to reach a consensus,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The bill, which proposed lifting the debt ceiling until 2027, failed on Thursday evening. It was negotiated within a few hours after elected President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform “Truth Social” calling for Republicans to agree to raise the debt ceiling before passing the budget bill.
Kevin Kosar, an expert at the American Enterprise Institute, which researches public policy, said this was not an easy request to agree upon.
“To some extent, it was in his advantage. If Congress handled this issue now, they wouldn’t have to negotiate it later or carry the populist backlash for raising the debt limit. On the other hand, it was a request made late. Congress is trying to wrap up before Christmas, and reaching an agreement on raising the debt limit is extremely difficult,” he said.
Mr. Trump supported the new legislative package negotiated by Republicans on Thursday afternoon, but hardline Republican lawmakers opposed it. According to them, Republicans were supporting expenditures that the country could not afford, regardless of the consequences.
“Three hundred and thirty billion dollars – congratulations on raising the debt since you won the majority (in the House of Representatives) again on November 5. This is disgraceful,” said Republican Representative Chip Roy.
Democrats also rejected the new bill.
“Extreme MAGA Republicans decided to do what the rich, millionaires, and billionaires with strong connections ordered them to do, not what working-class people across America want,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The original bill, on which both sides had agreed, included $100 billion in disaster relief and billions for farmers. It also proposed funding the government until mid-March.
However, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and an ally of Mr. Trump, opposed it. In a post on social media platform X, he wrote, “Stop stealing your taxes.”
Analyst Tom Schatz told VOA that this represents a new form of governance.
“The difference between efforts to eliminate wasteful spending in the past and today is social media. Taxpayers have a greater ability to make their views known to members of Congress, and this can be done more quickly. If laws need to be passed to consolidate departments or programs, the response can be quicker and more comprehensive because of social media,” he said.
If lawmakers fail to reach an agreement by midnight tonight, millions of federal employees will be forced to stop working.
