WASHINGTON – With only hours to go Federal government It starts closing Due to the lack of funds, Republicans in the House of Representatives intend to hold a vote on the draft resolution on Friday Government financing For three months, providing disaster relief and agricultural aid.
However, in order to pass the full House before the midnight closing deadline, the bill, which was released late Friday afternoon, would require significant Democratic support. It will also need a realistic path to passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, said he was committed to avoiding a shutdown that could jeopardize the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of federal employees just days before Christmas.
“We will not have a government shutdown,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol on Friday afternoon. “We will fulfill our commitments to our farmers in need of assistance and disaster victims across the country and make sure military and essential services and everyone who relies on the federal government for their holiday paychecks are paid.”
It is not clear how Democrats will win under the minority leader Hakeem JeffriesDN.Y., will interact with the independent bill. But the early signs were encouraging.
“This is a bill that might find confidence among enough Democrats to help the speaker pass the bill,” Rep. James Clyburn, the party's longtime leader, said on MSNBC's “White House Deadline.”
Earlier in the day, Jeffries told a group of politically vulnerable Democrats that he hopes to resolve the impasse, according to Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News.
The vote will end several days of chaos on Capitol Hill, during which Johnson tried, and failed, to meet the demands of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump and his billionaire campaign donor Elon MuskTesla's CEO, doomed the initial negotiated financing plan on Wednesday by harshly criticizing its provisions, sending Republicans scrambling for much of Thursday to find a solution. Alternative plan.
Specifically, Trump insisted that any agreement to keep the government open must include a two-year suspension of the US debt limit. The cap is the maximum the federal government can borrow to pay for its spending.
The debt ceiling is a bitter debate that recurs in Washington every few years, one in which the political party in the minority usually has a great deal of influence. Trump seems keen to avoid this battle during the beginning of his second term in office.
But allowing the United States to borrow more money is a bridge too far for many hardline conservative Republicans.
This was evident when on Thursday invoicewhich included basic government funding and raising debt limits, was resoundingly defeated. Almost all Democrats were joined by 38 rank-and-file Republicans who voted against him That, yet The party leader had publicly supported the deal.
If Friday's efforts to avoid a shutdown succeed, it will serve as a reminder to Trump how difficult it will be to control the notoriously divided House Republican caucus.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
