The Capitol in Washington, is framed by early morning clouds, March 19, 2024. Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government, or federal agencies will shutter. It's up to each federal agency to determine how it handles a shutdown, but there would be disruptions in many services. (AP File)
- House passes three-month funding bill, rejects Trump's debt limit demand, averting immediate shutdown; Senate vote imminent.
- Musk’s misinformation campaign derailed bipartisan spending bill, showcasing his growing influence and complicating Trump’s agenda.
- Johnson’s temporary funding plan clears House, balancing holiday pressure and GOP divisions, with Trump’s demands sidelined.
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With hours to go before a midnight government shutdown, the House approved a new plan from House Speaker Mike Johnson that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but dropped President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.
The vote came a day after the House rejected Trump’s new plan to fund operations and suspend the debt ceiling, as Democrats and dozens of Republicans refused to accommodate his sudden demands.
Here’s the latest:
House Passes Three-Month Government Funding Bill, Sending to Senate With Just Hours Left Before Deadline
Hours to go before a midnight government shutdown, the House approved a new plan late Friday from Speaker Mike Johnson that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but drops President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.
Johnson 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 bill was approved 366-34 and now goes to the Senate for expected quick passage.
Musk Helped Kill a Congressional Spending Bill. But Much of What He Spread Was Misinformation
President-elect Donald Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk played a key role this week in killing a bipartisan funding proposal that would have prevented a government shutdown, railing against the plan in more than 100 X posts that included multiple false claims.
Not only did the owner of the social platform X, an unelected figure, use his outsize influence on the platform to help sway Congress, he did so without regard for the facts and gave a preview of the role he could play over the next four years.
“Trump has got himself a handful with Musk,” said John Mark Hansen, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. “Trump’s done this kind of thing before, blowing up a bill at the last minute. This time, though, it looks like he was afraid of Musk upstaging him. Now there’s a new social media bully in town, pushing the champion social media bully around.”
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