The spending plan negotiated by House Republicans and Democrats to avert a government shutdown appears to be dead two days before the deadline, after the president rejected it. Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Speaker Mike Johnson’s previous plan is finished and will not be brought up for a vote.
Johnson’s original plan called for extending government spending at current levels through March and added other provisions including relief for disaster victims and farmers and a pay raise for members of Congress.
In a joint statement Wednesday evening, Trump and Vice President JD Vance urged Congress to “pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give (Senate Majority Leader) Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want.”
“Republicans need to BE FAIR and TOUGH. If we Democrats are threatening to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THE BLUFF. Schumer and (President Joe) Biden are the ones holding back aid for our farmers and disaster relief,” Trump and Vance said.
But on Wednesday afternoon, Trump threatened any House Republican who voted for a clean bill.
“Any Republican who would be stupid enough to do that should and will be in the primary,” he posted on the Truth Social platform. “Everything should be done, and fully negotiated, before I take office on January 20, 2025.”
In another post, Trump also urged Republicans to tackle the debt limit before taking office, saying if they don’t, he will have to fight Democrats “to the end.”
“This is a nasty trap set by the Radical Left Democrats!” he wrote “They want to embarrass us in June when (the debt limit) comes up for a vote. Those who extended it, from September 28 to June 1, should be ashamed.”
Scalise said Wednesday night that Republicans were working on a new resolution all the time, but had not reached an agreement.
“Many negotiations and conversations are still taking place,” he said. “Now there is no new agreement.”
Scalise said there are “ongoing conversations” about linking raising the debt limit to a government funding plan, as Trump has called for.
“We’ve had some conversations about the debt limit as it relates to CR,” he said.
The House did not plan to vote further Wednesday night and it was unclear when the vote would take place. Speaker Mike Johnson met with members of his office and staff to find a way forward.
Earlier on Wednesday, Musk He opposed the billto the point of threatening the members of parliament who vote.
After X posted “This bill should not pass,” Musk stepped up his rhetoric, warning that “any member who votes for this terrible spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
“Please call your elected officials immediately to tell them how you feel! They are trying to get this passed today while no one is paying attention,” she urged her more than 200 million followers.
He then published “No bill will be passed by Congress until January 20th when @realDonaldTrump takes office.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to reporters after a House Conference meeting with Republicans Blake Moore and Steve Scalise on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 17, 2024.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
Congress has until Friday, when the current government funding extension expires, to shut it down.
Republican leaders are discussing a clean short-term funding bill, but details are unclear, sources told ABC News. This comes just one day after Republicans introduced the legislative text that was the result of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats were reluctant to vote for a clean bill.
“A deal is a deal,” Jeffries told reporters.
“House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt everyday Americans across the country,” he said. “House Republicans will now own the damage to the American people from a government shutdown or worse.”
“House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and harm ordinary Americans across the country. House Republicans will own the damage to the American people from a government shutdown or worse.
House Speaker Mike Johnson was asked about Musk’s message on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning. Musk’s post seemed unconcerned about the funding bill’s ability to pass both chambers before the partial government shutdown deadline at the end of the day on Friday.
“I was communicating with Elon last night. Elon and Vivek (Ramaswamy) and I are on a text thread together and I was explaining the background to this. Vivek and I spoke at midnight last night, and he said ‘look, I understand him.’ He said, ‘We understand you’re in an impossible position,'” Johnson said.
Johnson said Musk and Ramaswamy, the two heads of the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), are aware that the speaker is struggling with a slim majority and Democratic control of the Senate and White House. DOGE is a non-governmental (or private) operation.
“We have to do this, because here’s the key. By doing that, we’re clearing the decks and preparing for Trump to come roaring in with his America First agenda. That’s what we’ll be happy to do starting January 3 when we start the new Congress,” he said.
President-elect Donald Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance attend the 125th Army-Navy football game at Northwestern Stadium on December 14, 2024 in Landover, Maryland.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
Johnson urged Congress to pass this funding bill “so we don’t have a shutdown.”
“We get to March where we can put our fingerprints on spending. That’s where the big changes start,” Johnson said.
Johnson, whose spokeswoman has characterized his far-right flank as having pushed back critics, initially promised a clean bill that would only extend the government’s current funding level to avoid a shutdown. However, natural disasters and headwinds for farmers required more federal spending.
The bill eventually included $100 billion for recovery efforts hurricanes Helene and Milton and another $10 billion in financial aid for farmers.
Johnson said at a press conference that his hands were tied after an “act of God” needed more money.
“The intention was, and until the last few days, very simple, very clear (the continuing resolution) was a funding measure to go into when we have a unified government next year,” he said. “In late fall, we had Helene and Milton and other disasters. We need to make sure that Americans who were devastated by these hurricanes get the relief they need.”
However, spending Republicans faulted Johnson for stuffing the bill with new spending without a way to pay for it and keeping the bill’s creation behind closed doors.
“We are very serious about expenses. And as long as you get a blank check, you can’t shrink the government. If you can’t shrink government, you can’t live free,” said Rep. Chip Roy of Texas.
Musk also scoffed at the size of the bill.
“Have you ever seen a bigger piece of pork?” himself Posted in Xalong with a picture of the bill piled up on a desk.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Katerine Faulders contributed to this report.
