This week’s impasse is the latest in a spat between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill and the White House over federal spending and a potential government shutdown over budget priorities.
However, that latest dilemma has been complicated not only by the presence of President-elect Donald Trump, but also billionaire Elon Musk.
“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk posted on X on Wednesday, blasting Congress for “overspending the government.”
The crisis stems from Congress’s obligation under the US Constitution to appropriate funds for federal programs, a sticking point between the parties who have been fighting over the direction of the dollar.
The US Capitol is reflected in a fountain on Capitol Hill in Washington on December 19, 2024.
Anna Rose Layden/Reuters
There have been 10 shutdowns in US history, half of which have occurred in the last 29 years. The issues that have caused these shutdowns have been education funding, the Affordable Care Act and immigration reform.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers were laid off, and many services, such as the National Park Service, were closed during those periods.
The last shutdown was the longest in history, from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019.
During the shutdown, Congress was divided over Trump’s push to spend more money on his border wall. In the end, the Democratic-controlled House was able to pass a funding plan that did not include the former president’s request.
Since then, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have had several back-and-forths over spending that have avoided another shutdown. However, many of these resolutions came from short-term spending bills.
The last deal in September funded the government until December 20.
Rep. Tom Emmer walks into Speaker Johnson’s office at the U.S. Capitol on December 19, 2024 in Washington.
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Over the past two days, House Republicans, who hold a slim majority, have pushed to pass another spending bill, but have withheld additional dollars for federal programs and agencies.
House Speaker Mike Johnson initially promised a clean bill that would only extend current government funding levels to avoid a shutdown. However, a bill he introduced this week included $110 billion in Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Melton relief, as well as financial aid for farmers.
Several GOP members expressed frustration with the deal, but things escalated in Musk’s opposition to Johnson and X’s proposal on Wednesday.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on December 19, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Will Oliver/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Musk, who has been tapped by Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency’s outside advisory group under the new administration, has threatened lawmakers who voted for the bill as “inflammatory.”
Hours later, Trump issued a statement echoing that call against Johnson’s bill.
Rep. Andy Harris, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, joins a group of conservative Republicans to discuss a temporary spending bill to avert federal agency shutdowns, on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 18, 2024.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
President-elect said ABC News his main concern was the debt ceiling and that he pushed for a bill that removes or expands the government’s debt limit.
The federal debt limit was the last get up in 2023 and was not bound by a budget agreement.
Under current law, the federal government would hit the debt ceiling sometime in the spring of 2025, the first months of Trump’s second presidency. Trump, however, said he wants to take care of it now, while Joe Biden is president, even if it causes a shutdown.
“The shutdown only affects the person who is the president,” Trump said.
Thursday evening, another bill passed House Republicans and Trump backers failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to suspend the rules.
