The US House of Representatives voted against a budget spending bill backed by Donald Trump on Thursday, pushing the government closer to a potential shutdown as a Friday midnight deadline looms.
Three dozen Republicans defied Trump’s last minute budget spending proposal that would have increased the U.S. deficit by a whopping USD3 trillion, garnering the required two-thirds majority in the lower House of Representatives, with 38 Republican lawmakers breaking ranks to oppose the bill on Thursday night.
Their defiance marked a significant blow to Trump, who had 24 hours earlier at the instigation of Elon Musk torpedoed the bipartisan deal negotiated by the Republican leadership and Democrats, expected to be signed by President Biden, to extend the government funding until March.
Musk, the tech billionaire, tweeted, “This bill should not pass,” reportedly influencing Trump’s sudden interest in stopping the done deal and threatening to primary any Republican who did not support it.
Although known to be “dead on arrival” before even reaching the Senate or the White House, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s “plan B” bill, introduced Thursday afternoon only three hours before the vote, failed in the House by a vote of 174 to 235. It is not clear what Johnson will now do to prevent a lapse in government funding after tonight when the present authorization expires. If Congress does not approve legislation by 11:59 p.m. Friday, the government will shut down with serious consequences for the America people, especially those who rely on social security or military paychecks.
The rejected proposal, endorsed by Trump, conditioned government funding on a two-year suspension of the federal debt limit, effectively increasing the government’s borrowing capacity. The provision sparked opposition from both sides of the aisle.
38 Conservative Republican dissenters argued the plan would lead to excessive government spending. Democrats opposed it, citing concerns that the additional borrowing would primarily fund Trump’s announced tax cuts for the wealthy with Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries calling the oft-stated Republican concern about the debt cap “phony.”