Republicans are moving forward with a Plan C, which they aim to pass on Friday. However, it remains uncertain whether Democrats in the House, Senate, or White House will offer their support.
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By Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur, Ali Vitali, Julie Tsirkin, and Kyle Stewart
WASHINGTON — As the deadline to avoid a government shutdown rapidly approaches, House Republican leaders are scrambling to devise a plan that will prevent U.S. troops, border patrol agents, air traffic controllers, and millions of other federal workers from being forced to work without pay during the holiday season.
Just three days earlier, bipartisan leaders in both the House and Senate had agreed on a deal to keep the government funded. However, President-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk derailed the agreement, insisting that it be modified to extend or eliminate the debt limit to support Trump's agenda for the following year.
A backup plan, which had the support of Trump and Musk, also failed to gain traction on the House floor. It was rejected by both Democrats and 38 Republicans who opposed the debt extension.
Amid the turmoil, embattled Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who is fighting to maintain his leadership position, has shifted to Plan C. This plan proposes splitting the larger funding package into three parts: government funding through March 14, disaster aid, and an extension of the farm bill. Lawmakers would vote on each component separately, with no vote on extending the debt limit, according to two Republican sources familiar with the plan.
However, there’s no guarantee that key elements of the plan will pass the House, the Senate, or be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
“The lines of communication have been reopened,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said after meeting with House Democrats, though he did not commit to supporting the plan.
Moreover, the Senate, typically slow to act, could take days to debate and vote on any funding package from the House, meaning a government shutdown could extend into the weekend — potentially overlapping with the Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s holidays.
Johnson faces a significant challenge: He cannot pass any bill without Democratic support, as the Senate and the White House are controlled by Democrats who are unwilling to meet Trump’s last-minute demands. If Johnson fails to deliver for Trump, it could jeopardize his chances of being re-elected as speaker on January 3, especially given the slim Republican majority in the House.
“This is a defining moment for his career as speaker,” said Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., a critic of Johnson. “How he handles this situation and how he leads our conference will define whether he’s a serious leader and whether he survives the leadership vote.”
Jeffries criticized Trump for pushing to eliminate the debt limit in order to pass tax cuts for the wealthy next year.
“A painful government shutdown will hurt working-class Americans and damage the economy, all so they can deliver massive tax cuts to their billionaire donors instead of funding vital programs like cancer research for children,” Jeffries said, referring to provisions in the original deal that were stripped out by GOP leaders.
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