WASHINGTON — With just hours left before the federal government shuts down due to a lack of funds, House Republicans plan to hold a vote on Friday to fund the government for three months and provide disaster relief and farm aid.
However, the bill, released late Friday afternoon, will need significant Democratic support in order to pass the House before the midnight shutdown deadline. It also needs a realistic path to passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said he is committed to averting a government shutdown that could jeopardize the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of federal employees just days before Christmas.
“We are not going to shut down the government,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol on Friday afternoon. “We will fulfill our obligations to farmers in need, disaster victims across the country, and ensure that military and essential services and all those who rely on the federal government for their paychecks are paid during the holidays.”
It’s unclear how Democrats, led by the minority leader Hakeem JeffriesNew York State Democrats will respond to standalone bill. But early signs are encouraging.
“This bill may gain the trust of enough Democrats to help the House speaker pass it,” Rep. James Clyburn, the longtime party leader, told MSNBC’s “White House Deadline.” express.
Earlier in the day, Jeffries told a group of politically vulnerable Democrats that he wanted to resolve the impasse, Punchbowl News’ Jack Sherman reported.
The vote will cap off several days of chaos on Capitol Hill, during which Johnson tried and failed to comply with President-elect Donald Trump’s demands.
Trump and his billionaire campaign donor, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, harshly criticized the terms of the originally negotiated financing plan on Wednesday, leaving Republicans scrambling for much of Thursday to find funding. replacement plan.
Specifically, Trump insisted that any deal to keep the government open must include a two-year suspension of the U.S. debt ceiling. The limit is the most the federal government can borrow to cover its spending.
The debt ceiling is a heated debate that recurs every few years in Washington, and the minority party usually has a lot of influence. Trump appears eager to avoid that fight at the start of his second term.
But for many hardline conservative Republicans, authorizing the U.S. to borrow more money is a bridge too far.
That was evident on Thursday. billIt contained the basics of a government funding and debt ceiling increase, but was a resounding failure. After Republican leaders came out in support of the deal, 38 rank-and-file Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in voting no.
If Friday’s effort to avert a government shutdown succeeds, it will remind Trump how difficult it is to control the notoriously fractious House Republican caucus.
This is a development story. Please check back for updates.
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