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21-12-2024
WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives has voted against a Donald Trump-backed funding measure, bringing a government shutdown this weekend a step closer.
A revised spending plan failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed in the lower chamber of Congress, with 38 Republicans voting against the bill on Thursday night, defying the president-elect.
Trump had thwarted a previous cross-party funding deal that the Republican House leadership had struck with Democrats, after heavy criticism of the measure by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Here are five things to know about the possible government shutdown;
- How we got here
The now-looming government shutdown can be traced back to September, when another budget deadline loomed.
Johnson failed to pass a six-month funding extension. Mostly Democrats voted against the extension, which included a measure (the SAVE Act) to require proof of citizenship for voting.
Instead, Congress came to a bipartisan deal for a bare-bones bill that would keep the government funded through 20 December.
- Trump, Musk tank bipartisan plan
Still, opposition for Johnson’s spending deal grew on Wednesday.
Musk, who Trump has tasked with identifying spending cuts by co-leading the Department of Government Efficiency ( which is not an official government department), lobbied heavily against the existing deal with dozens of posts on X.
He called it “criminal” and often referenced false statements about the bill in his posts.
- What happens next?
Johnson and House Republicans introduced the streamlined legislation on Thursday, which then failed in a vote that evening. It’s not clear what they will do next.
Lawmakers are not expected to vote again on Thursday, meaning they’ll return on Friday morning with less than 24 hours on the clock until a potential shutdown but it’s clear the partisan blame game is in full swing. After the Thursday bill was shot down, Johnson told reporters it was “very disappointing” that almost every House Democrat had voted against it.
- The effects of a government shutdown
Federal agencies rely on annual funding to function. When Congress fails to pass the 12 spending bills that make up the spending budget, these agencies must discontinue non-essential functions.
Essential services like border protection, in-hospital medical care, law enforcement and air-traffic control continue to operate but many federal employees may go without pay.
- The repercussions for Republicans
This was the first big test of Trump’s influence over current congressional Republicans, and in the vote on Thursday, a number of them balked.
It also poses a challenge for Speaker Johnson, as the House is set to vote in just 15 days on who will serve as the House Speaker for the next Congress.
What previously looked like a secured position for Johnson is now seeming less of a sure thing.
Facing backlash from Trump and Musk, the Louisiana Republican is now under scrutiny from those in his own party over his handling of government funding. (Int’l News Desk)
