White House warns government agencies to prepare for shutdown after spending bills fail: Live updates
Frustrated speaker Mike Johnson forced to return to drawing board once again after second bill defeated in House of Representatives by 235 votes to 174
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Your support makes all the difference.House Speaker Mike Johnson and congressional Republicans are scrambling to find a new deal to avert a US government shutdown before federal funding runs out at midnight on Friday.
The White House Office of Management and Budget has already begun warning government agencies to prepare for the worst.
The Capitol has meanwhile been wracked with confusion this morning, with members offering mixed messages as they left the speaker’s office on the prospect of progress.
The crisis erupted after Johnson’s second congressional spending bill, drafted at the insistence of Donald Trump to include a suspension of the debt limit and remove a number of concessions to Democrats, was comprehensively defeated in the House of Representatives on Thursday night by 235 votes to 174.
The result was a major embarrassment for the incoming president, Elon Musk and the GOP that leaves the government once more hurtling towards an impasse.
The president-elect responded by complaining in a statement: “Nearly every single House Democrat just voted against government funding and to shut down the government.
“These 197 Democrats voted against keeping the government open, disaster relief, and aid for farmers.”
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Democrat tells Republicans: ‘Put on your big boy pants’
The opposition needs to avoid gloating here as the consequences of a federal shutdown are no laughing matter for the American people but the current chaos is also an unmissable opportunity to draw attention to Republican dysfunction.
“Put on your big boy pants,” Florida Representative Jared Moskowitz told the GOP in the House yesterday, just days after he was reported to be Trump’s choice to run FEMA (and politely declined).
“Pass your own bill. We’re only here because you guys can’t agree amongst yourselves.”
Speaking in the aftermath of yesterday’s disaster, Moskowitz’s Texas colleague Jasmine Crockett told MSNBC: “I’m just gonna sit back. We’re looking at this like, this is their problem.”
She continued: “We have seen this play out over and over in the entire two years that I’ve been in Congress.
“But here’s the deal: There is no fixing this without the Democrats.
“We have seen this over and over, and I’m just gonna sit back and sip my tea and wait on them to figure it out.”
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Comments like that over the last 24 hours have forced Trump’s tranisition team to insist that it is the president-elect who is really in charge of their incoming administration, not Musk, a humiliating business for all concerned and very much not a good look for the administration exactly one month before it takes office.
Here’s more from Rhian Lubin.
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An agreement was struck. Washington was ready to leave for the holidays having come together on a plan to fund the government and avert a shutdown – albeit with some grumbling on the MAGA right.
But then Elon Musk jumped in.
Here’s John Bowden and Andrew Feinberg on another fine mess the unelected billionaire has gotten the GOP into.
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Trump continues to insist on debt ceiling removal despite House defeat
These are the latest Truth Social posts from the president-elect, which find him not addressing his defeat directly but digging in his heels nonetheless – and also ramping up his tariff threats against America’s friends and neighbours, perhaps hoping to fund the federal government that way.
All of which is a long way from yesterday’s triumphalism before the vote, which prematurely hailed: “SUCCESS in Washington!”
Trump, Musk blame Democrats for tanking spending bill despite 38 Republicans voting against it
Good morning!
Donald Trump and Elon Musk have lashed out after House Speaker Mike Johnson’s Plan B congressional spending bill, drafted at their insistence to include a suspension of the debt limit and remove a number of concessions to Democrats, was comprehensively defeated in the House of Representatives last night by 235 votes against to 174 for.
The result is a major embarrassment for the GOP and the incoming president that leaves the US government once more hurtling towards a shutdown unless an alternative can be agreed by midnight tonight.
This is what the president-elect had to say in a statement in response:
“Nearly every single House Democrat just voted against government funding and to shut down the government.
“These 197 Democrats voted against keeping the government open, disaster relief, and aid for farmers.
“As Vice President-elect JD Vance said, Democrats ‘asked for a shutdown and I think that’s exactly what they’re going to get.’”
Elon, the great disrupter, lashed out on X along similar lines:
None of that is true, however, as Trump and Musk’s bullying tactics also failed to convince no fewer than 38 Republicans.
This was the immediate reaction from Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries:
Here’s a full report from Alex Woodward and Eric Garcia.
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The bipartisan deal was struck on Tuesday evening and lawmakers have until Friday to approve new spending.
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Musk, who has quickly ascended as a close ally of Donald Trump, proved just how powerful political influence is this week when he managed to convince Republicans in Congress to oppose the bipartisan spending bill that, if passed, will prevent the government from shutting down.
Wielding his influence on the social media platform he owns, X, Musk sent out more than 150 posts urging Republicans to break from the bill backed by the current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
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The Russian president told one reporter he was ready to meet Donald Trump, who he said he had not spoken to for years.
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The Labour leader said he was “not a fan” as he was grilled by MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee about how he plans to deal with the next occupant of the White House.
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