By Sahil Kapur, Ryan Nobles, Kyle Stewart, Julie Tsirkin, and Ali Vitali
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump sharply criticized a bipartisan government funding bill Wednesday afternoon, creating turmoil for lawmakers just as both parties hoped to pass the measure.
Trump, along with Vice President-elect JD Vance, issued a joint statement that left Republican leaders scrambling for a new plan in the House, where Trump holds substantial influence. A top GOP lawmaker later confirmed that the bill, which had been released just a day earlier, was now considered dead.
The bill aimed to fund the government until March 14, but without a resolution, a shutdown will occur at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Currently, there is no backup plan.
“Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH,” Trump and Vance said in their statement. “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF.” They accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden of stalling aid to farmers and disaster relief.
In an unexpected move, Trump also demanded the inclusion of a debt ceiling increase in the legislation — a measure neither party had considered at this point. The issue is set to be revisited in mid-2024, but Trump insisted it should be addressed during Biden’s presidency. "Increasing the debt ceiling is not great, but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch," the statement read. "If Democrats won’t cooperate now, what makes anyone think they would in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now, and we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want."
Trump added that a “temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS” combined with a debt ceiling increase was the only acceptable solution. "Anything else is a betrayal of our country," he said.
Trump later warned Republican lawmakers that those who ignored his advice could face political consequences. "Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried," he posted on Truth Social.
When asked if the version of the bill unveiled by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Tuesday was now dead, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., confirmed, "Yes." The Speaker’s office refrained from offering a new strategy, while Republican leadership gathered for further talks. Vance, who left Johnson’s office after a meeting, described the discussions as "productive," though he offered few details, saying, "We’re in the middle of these negotiations."
By late Wednesday, Johnson did not comment on the status of the negotiations, but Scalise described the meeting as "good" and "productive." The House confirmed there would be no votes that evening as the discussions continued.
'Practicing what he preaches'
Conservatives both inside and outside of Congress had already condemned the legislation after its release Tuesday night.
“This is a s--- sandwich,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., on Wednesday. “I don’t know how else to say that. We’re being forced into this position.”
A Trump transition official suggested the president-elect's rejection of the CR was consistent with his message. “There’s no way he would support DOGE and a 1500-page CR,” the official said, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency that Trump has tasked Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead.
When asked why Trump waited until after Musk and others had criticized the bill, the official explained, “He let everyone wonder what he wanted to do. All eyes were on him. When he moved, it was over. He’s president before becoming president.”
The fight over government funding marks another area where Trump has influenced policy, even before assuming office. While President Biden recedes from the public eye, Trump has also been active in shaping foreign policy.
However, several Republicans expressed doubts about Trump’s push to add the debt ceiling to the funding bill. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., questioned the timing, acknowledging, "I have no problem with doing it, I just don’t know why Senator Schumer would accept it.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., warned Republicans that abandoning the CR would result in a government shutdown. “House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government,” Jeffries wrote on X. "You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slammed Trump’s disruption of the bill, saying Republicans risked harming Americans and causing instability.
Musk Weighs In
Elon Musk quickly voiced his opposition to the bill, urging his over 200 million followers on X to “Kill the Bill.” He also expressed support for Republican lawmakers who announced they would vote against it, calling the bill “one of the worst ever written.”
Some House Republicans found Musk's comments energizing, with Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., voicing approval. “I love the fact that they’re paying attention. I didn’t come up here to continue this reckless funding process,” he said.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also praised Musk. “Elon put out a pretty serious post, and that’s the sentiment of the American people,” she said. “This is why we won on Nov. 5. Everyone is sick and tired of overspending.”
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., of the Freedom Caucus, criticized the bill’s rushed passage, highlighting the lack of time to review its contents. “The process is broken,” he said.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., expressed concern about a shutdown’s impact, particularly on disaster aid, and questioned whether Musk was unduly influencing Trump’s decisions.
Blame on Johnson
Some Republicans blamed Speaker Johnson for the situation, with one Senate GOP aide describing the bill as poorly crafted. “Johnson really f---ed this up. He put out a really bad bill,” the aide said.
When asked about the bill’s future, the aide replied, “We’ll see ... but looks very bad.”
Time is running out for Congress to come up with an alternative. Several sources indicated that one potential option is a "clean" continuing resolution (CR), which would maintain federal funding at current levels along with disaster relief funding. Other possibilities include a CR without disaster funds or a version that includes disaster aid and an extension of the farm bill. The final proposal remains uncertain, with one lawmaker noting that “nothing is set in stone.”
Some far-right Republicans, previously opposed to the CR due to its policy attachments, seem open to a simpler version.
"If that’s the case, that’s a big win for conservatism," Rep. Eric Burlison said. "It’s a big win for Elon Musk and Ramaswamy, and I’m excited about that because this town needs some outside pressure.”
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, echoed this view, calling for a "simple CR with a small amount of disaster supplemental for the people in tents in North Carolina. And that’s it."
0 Comments