House rejects Trump-backed budget, shutdown looms
The House of Representatives voted Thursday evening against a budget stopgap proposal backed by Donald Trump. If Congress does not pass a new provisional budget, a shutdown and the closure of most federal institutions will begin on Saturday.
According to The Washington Post, Donald Trump surprised lawmakers in Washington by calling for the suspension or complete abolition of the federal debt limit. He demanded last-minute negotiations to avoid a government shutdown this weekend and urged Republicans in Congress to eliminate the debt ceiling, the law limiting the amount of borrowing the federal government can do. However, these appeals were unsuccessful, and the debt limit remained.
On Thursday, congressmen voted on the budget stopgap proposal. The proposal, which required a two-thirds majority in the House for expedited adoption, did not even gain the support of a simple majority. Almost all Democrats and 38 Republicans voted against it.
The stopgap, developed among Republicans and supported by President-elect Trump, proposed extending the current budget by three months, £88 billion in aid for hurricane-affected regions, subsidizing farmers, and suspending the debt limit for two years.
Risk of a shutdown
The failure of the proposal significantly increases the risk of a shutdown, as the current budget expires on Friday. This "procedure" and political wrangling in Congress over the budget topic are repeated each year.
Although most of the shutdown's effects will not be felt until Monday, as many federal institutions do not operate over the weekend, it may result in longer airport screenings during some of the busiest travel days right before the holidays. Both parties have already begun blaming each other for who will be responsible for this situation.
Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that the party would hold further discussions on resolving the issue. However, it is unclear whether they will have enough time, as the project needs to be voted on by both houses of Congress and signed by the President by midnight (GMT) on Friday.
Trump and Musk threatened congressmen
Thursday's failure is a consequence of Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk torpedoing the previous budget stopgap proposal, which was worked out in a bipartisan compromise.
Many provisions unrelated to the bill were added to that legislation, including limiting American investments in China and funds for research on medicines for children's cancers. This triggered a storm of criticism aimed primarily at Trump adviser Musk and a pay rise for congressmen.
Trump and Musk threatened all congressmen who were set to support the proposal that they would seek to have them removed from their positions.
