By Hannah Parry
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The House of Representatives has approved the GOP's eleventh hour new spending bill, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. The bill passed 366 to 34. All those who opposed were Republicans. All Democrats voted for in favor of the bill except one who voted "present." Now it will go to the Senate, where it should easily pass, before it goes to President Biden for approval. The spending plan is effectively the same bill that failed in the House yesterday, but without the proposed increase to the nation's debt ceiling. It also includes temporary funding until March 14, $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in emergency assistance for farmers. Speaker Mike Johnson insisted earlier today that "we will not have a government shutdown." The move comes after 38 Republicans voted against a spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday.
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Dec 20, 2024 at 06:12 PM EST
House approves GOP’s spending bill narrowly avoiding government shutdown
The House of Representatives has approved the new spending bill, to narrowly avoid a government shutdown.
The bill passed 366 to 34. All those who opposed were Republicans. All Democrats voted for it except one who voted "present."
Now it will go to the Senate, where it should easily pass, before it goes to President Biden for approval.
Dec 20, 2024 at 05:57 PM EST
Elon Musk gives Mike Johnson sigh of relief by endorsing new spending bill
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Elon Musk voiced support for GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson's latest spending bill on Friday, giving him a sigh of relief just hours before a government shutdown could begin.
"This is great," Musk wrote in a post to X, responding to a separate post outlining some of the measures in the new spending bill.
It came just under an hour after Musk appeared to raise concerns of the bill, asking if it is a "Republican bill or a Democrat bill?"
Read in full from Andrew Stanton on Newsweek.
Dec 20, 2024 at 05:51 PM EST
Democrats say they are open to approving new bill
Democrats have told reporters that they intend to vote "yes" to the new spending bill.
Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader of the U.S House of Representatives, told Dem representatives, during a closed meeting, that "on balance, it's a win for the American people," according to Rep. Bill Foster.
Rep. Foster called the bill a "compromise."
"We definitely did not give Elon Musk and Donald Trump what they wanted, and we got most of what we wanted, what we've been negotiating," he said.
Dec 20, 2024 at 05:41 PM EST
House voting is underway on new bill
The House is voting on the third version of the spending bill in an attempt to avert a government shutdown.
If it fails to pass, then the government is almost certainly set for a shutdown at midnight.
Dec 20, 2024 at 05:39 PM EST
Congressional Republicans repeatedly defy Trump before he takes office
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Congressional Republicans appeared set to defy President-elect Donald Trump for the second time this week, as plans were emerging for lawmakers to put up three separate bills to avert a government shutdown—none of which included the debt limit increase that Trump has demanded.
In an effort to get spending bills through before the midnight deadline, Republican lawmakers appeared close to an agreement on three separate bills Friday afternoon. Those bills would extend the continuing resolution (CR) until March, authorize billions in disaster relief and offer agricultural aid to farmers, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters from the Capitol.
The decision to punt on the debt-ceiling matter that Trump was hoping to dispose of under President Biden's watch comes after 38 House Republicans tanked a second run at a spending deal on Thursday that the president-elect had supported.
Read in full from Katherine Fung on Newsweek.
Dec 20, 2024 at 05:34 PM EST
OPINION: GOP controlling Washington means it’s Christmas for lobbyists
About 13,000 registered lobbyists plied their trade in Washington last year, at a total cost of more than $4.2 billion. Most represent industry groups ranging from the Chamber of Commerce to Big Pharma to Big Tech to oil, gas, and chemical producers. This holiday season, they have a golden opportunity to score big gifts for their clients and themselves through an obscure law only known to Washington insiders.
The Congressional Review Act allows a new lineup in the House, Senate, and Oval Office to repeal regulations issued during the last few months of the previous presidential administration with a simple majority vote (no filibuster) and a maximum of ten hours of floor debate (often much less).
Historically, it has only really worked when Republicans take over the presidency, the House, and the Senate, and decide to destroy the work of a Democratic administration.
The last time Donald Trump was president, Republican lawmakers eliminated 15 rules with little fuss and not much publicity.
Read in full from Rena Steinzor and James Goodwin on Newsweek.
Dec 20, 2024 at 05:18 PM EST
WATCH: White House press secretary says possible government shutdown is ‘not for president to fix’
Dec 20, 2024 at 05:13 PM EST
Sen. Schiff has slammed Musk and Trump for driving government into a ‘Republican shutdown’
Sen. Adam Schiff has slammed Elon Musk and Donald Trump for driving the government into a "Republican shutdown."
"Elon Musk and Donald Trump blew up the bipartisan deal to fund the government," Schiff wrote on X.
"By driving us into a Republican shutdown, the world's richest man and Donald Trump are stripping help away from the folks who need it most. Merry Christmas, indeed."
Dec 20, 2024 at 05:05 PM EST
Do federal employees get paid during a shutdown? Here’s what to know
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The looming government shutdown that would result from the House failing to agree on a spending bill by midnight on Friday, leaving many federal employees possibly without pay going into the holiday season.
The government hasn't passed a spending bill on time for a number of years, and once again officials are taking the vote down to the wire to pass thanks to input from Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump, who seek to influence the final bill.
However, that interference has prevented the House from passing what had been a bipartisan spending bill earlier this week. A second bill, backed by Trump and Republicans, failed to get enough votes to pass on Thursday.
Read in full from Peter Aitken on Newsweek.
Dec 20, 2024 at 04:53 PM EST
House expected to vote soon to avoid government shutdown
The House is expected to vote on a new spending plan at some time between 5 and 6 p.m. ET to avoid a government shutdown.
The bill still needs a two-third majority to pass but the decision to remove the debt cap may appeal to the 38 Republican rebels who votes against it yesterday.
It is unclear if the vote will pass.
Dec 20, 2024 at 04:13 PM EST
Trump hawks signed Bibles as government set to shutdown
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President-elect Donald Trump is promoting the "perfect gift for this Christmas," a "God Bless The USA Bible," as Congress is set to potentially shut down at midnight.
Trump posted to his Truth Social that his "God Bless the USA Bible" is in stock for Christmas shipping, five days before the holiday. According to the website, the Bibles sell for $59.99, and for $1,000 they include Trump's signature.
"Faith is coming back to America, and FAST! The perfect gift for this Christmas is the God Bless The USA Bible—Also available are signed copies," Trump posted.
The Bible is "easy-to-read" in large print and has a "slim design," all so that it "invites you to explore God's Word anywhere, any time," according to the website.
"This bible has been designed so that it delivers an easy reading experience in the trusted King James Version translation," the site reads. "This large print Bible will be perfect to take to church, a bible study, work, travel, etc."
To make it a God Bless the USA edition, the Bible has copies of the handwritten chorus to "God Bless The USA," which Trump had played often at his rallies. It also has the US Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
Read in full from Monica Sager on Newsweek.
Dec 20, 2024 at 03:58 PM EST
GOP Rep. defends House Republicans not backing Trump
Congressman Michael Cloud (R, Louisiana) said that people accusing House Republicans of not backing President-elect Donald Trump were "missing the point."
"The issue is not with President Trump at all. We are the ones who most support his agenda here," he wrote on X.
"We're trying to protect the chance to implement it next year. The issue here is with a Washington establishment who claims to be pro-Trump and then never actually follows through when the time comes."
Dec 20, 2024 at 03:07 PM EST
GOP’s new plan revealed
House Republicans have agreed on a new spending plan in the eleventh hour, but they still need Democrats to back the plan to avoid a government shutdown tonight.
Reps. Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-Pennsylvania) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) explained the plan t reporters, after GOP members held a private two-hour meeting.
They said lawmakers will try to pass the same bill that failed in the House yesterday, but they have dropped the proposed increase to the nation's debt ceiling.
The bill still needs a two-third majority to pass but the removal of the debt cap may appeal to the 38 Republican rebels who votes against it yesterday.
Dec 20, 2024 at 02:58 PM EST
Johnson says a vote on a funding deal will happen soon
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House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he is working out the details of a new funding deal but he expects the vote to happen shortly.
He declined to answer if the Democrats were on board with the new bill.
Dec 20, 2024 at 02:56 PM EST
Speaker Johnson: ‘We will not have a government shutdown’
Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters moments ago, that "we will not have a government shutdown."
Johnson left the GOP private meeting at the Capitol to announce that he expects "that we will be proceeding forward."
"We will not have a government shutdown and we will meet our obligations."
Dec 20, 2024 at 02:54 PM EST
GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson agrees weekend shutdown likely, but claims it ‘doesn’t mean anything’
Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-South Dakota) says that House Republicans are braced for a temporary shutdown over the weekend but said, "those generally don't mean anything."
"There may be a technical shutdown over the course of the evening or the weekend," he said.
"Those generally don't mean anything. I mean, nobody gets furloughed. Nothing really happens to shut down the government if there is a few-hour lapse."
Dec 20, 2024 at 02:47 PM EST
Majority Leader Scalise admits weekend shutdown likely
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. admitted that a government shutdown was looking likely, but insisted it would only last, at maximum, through the weekend.
Scalise emerged from the private House GOP meeting to tell reporters that the most likely plan would be to separate the spending plan into three separate bills, while they may have to drop Donald Trump's debt limit proposal after "Democrats walked away from that last night."
He added that a vote was still "possible" tonight but it was more likely that a temporary shutdown would happen over the weekend.
"There may be a technical shutdown over the course of the evening or the weekend. Those generally don't mean anything," Johnson said.
Dec 20, 2024 at 02:22 PM EST
White House says GOP ‘created this mess’, and they need to be the ones to fix it
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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said today that Republicans are the ones that "blew up" the bipartisan spending deal, and so they should be the ones to fix it.
Speaking at a press conference today, Jean-Pierre said that the bill had been going forward and it had been agreed on by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) before President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk "picked the fight"
"They stopped that because of what the president-elect said and what Elon Musk said," she said. "They wanted to clear a way for their billionaire friends.
Jean-Pierre urged Johnson, Trump and their fellow Republicans to work on getting a realistic spending deal passed within the next few hours before they trigger a government shutdown.
"Republicans blew up this deal. And they need to fix this. Period," she said.
"They are the ones who have created this mess."
Dec 20, 2024 at 01:19 PM EST
GOP hold private meeting in Capitol basement
House Republicans are holding a private "family meeting" in the Capitol basement to discuss how they can avoid a full government shutdown, the New York Times reports.
The GOP members are reportedly discussing what they can pass, while leadership is promising to slash spending in the future as they try to keep conservative members on board.
Dec 20, 2024 at 01:15 PM EST
President Biden has spoken with Democrat leaders ahead of potential shutdown
President Joe Biden has spoken to with Democrat leaders ahead of the looming government shutdown.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters he'd meet with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday afternoon to discuss the spending bill crisis.
Dec 20, 2024 at 01:07 PM EST
Top Democrat senators warns she won’t allow Elon Musk to ‘run the government’
Sen. Patty Murray said that she is prepared to stay in Washington D.C. through Christmas to stop an "unelected billionaire" from trying to run the government.
Elon Musk was one of the loudest voices urging lawmakers to vote down the original bipartisan spending bill, leaving House Speaker Mike Johnson scrambling for an alternative. The Tesla CEO had said that any lawmaker who supported the original bill should be voted out of office.
A Musk-backed slimmed down second bill was rejected by the House yesterday.
Murray, (D-Washington), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, slammed Musk today in a post on X, writing, "I'm ready to stay here through Christmas because we're not going to let Elon Musk run the government.
"Put simply, we should not let an unelected billionaire rip away research for pediatric cancer so he can get a tax cut or tear down policies that help America outcompete China because it could hurt his bottom line."
Dec 20, 2024 at 12:58 PM EST
What happens if the government shuts down?
When the government shuts down, major nonessential services cease operation, meaning many federal employees may go without pay.
Many of the hundreds of thousands of federal employees are furloughed, or placed on unpaid leave, while those who perform essential services, like law enforcement, border protection and air traffic control, may be forced to work without pay, according to Britannica.
Under these circumstances the workers will usually be compensated for their unpaid labor once the relevant appropriations bill is enacted.
As social security and Medicare are funded through laws that do not require annual approval by Congress, they are largely unaffected by government shutdowns. The Federal Reserve and the U.S. Postal Service also receive funding from outside the federal government, so they remain fully functional.
Dec 20, 2024 at 12:48 PM EST
Schumer calls on GOP to return to original spending plan
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called on Republicans to return to the original spending plan after members of the GOP rebelled to reject Donald Trump and Elon Musk's slimmed down proposal.
"It's the quickest, simplest and easiest way we can make sure the government stays open," the Democratic senator said today on the Senate floor as he warned time was running out before a government shutdown.
Dec 20, 2024 at 12:37 PM EST
How long was the last government shutdown?
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The last government shutdown was during Donald Trump's first term as president, between December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, according to Britannica.
During that shutdown, many services were impacted. Flight traffic controllers were working long hours to compensate for the low number of fully-trained staff as many were quitting or calling in sick, the BBC reported.
Per the outlet, FBI resources also took a hit, with a report showing that the shutdown affected criminal, counter-terrorism and intelligence work, and other operations, meaning the service was at "breaking point."
Coast Guard workers also struggled to afford food and cover the cost of their expensive coastal housing while they weren't receiving pay, according to the BBC.
In addition, a report by Syracuse University found that more than 42,000 immigration hearings had been canceled as of January 11, 2019.
The second-longest government shutdown was for 21 days, between December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996, while Bill Clinton was president.
Jimmy Carter's terms as president had five of the top 10 longest government shutdowns, with one lasting 17 days, another for 12, one for 11 days, and then another two lasting eight days.
Dec 20, 2024 at 12:28 PM EST
Musk appears to dismiss concerns over shutdown
Elon Musk appeared to dismiss concerns over the looming government shutdown on Friday.
The Tesla CEO shared a post on X that claimed that nothing "terrible" had happened during the last shutdown.
"Either the government should pass sensible bills that actually serve the people or shut it down!" Musk added.
Musk, who has been chosen to co-lead Donald Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the new administration, had urged lawmakers to vote down an original bipartisan spending bill and said any lawmaker who supported it should be voted out of office.
Trump later echoed Musk's opposition, calling for a rise in the debt limit to be added and warning that any Republican who backs the bill should face a primary challenge.
Musk and Trump's opposition helped tank the legislation, which would have prevented a shutdown just before the Christmas period, leaving House Speaker Mike Johnson scrambling for an alternative.
Dec 20, 2024 at 12:18 PM EST
Trump calls looming government shutdown a ‘Biden problem to solve’
President-elect Donald Trump has said that the looming government shutdown is a "Biden problem to solve."
Trump was commenting after the House of Representatives rejected his new plan to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling a day before a government shutdown.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, the president-elect said: "Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President."
In a later statement on Friday morning, Trump passed the responsibility for the potential shutdown to the Biden administration, writing on Truth Social, "If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under "TRUMP." This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!"
Dec 20, 2024 at 12:10 PM EST
Mike Johnson says ‘We’ve got a plan’ as pressure grows over CR bill chaos
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House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he expects new votes to be held on Friday as time runs out for lawmakers to pass a temporary funding bill.
"We're expecting votes this morning. So y'all stay tuned, we've got a plan," Johnson told reporters as he arrived at the U.S. Capitol on Friday.
Johnson's comments come as members of Congress face growing pressure to agree on a bill that will keep the government's lights on for the short term. However, disagreements over what to include have increased the threat of a government shutdown over the Christmas period.
Read in full from Michael D. Carroll and Hugh Cameron on Newsweek.
Dec 20, 2024 at 12:01 PM EST
Wall Street futures slide as government shutdown looms before Christmas
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Wall Street futures fell this week as a possible shutdown of the government looms before Christmas, while lawmakers discuss a temporary spending bill.
S&P 500 futures fell 1 percent ahead of the opening bell, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 0.6 percent.
Lawmakers fell short of the two-thirds majority required to pass the measure before Friday's midnight deadline. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized that he and fellow Republicans were committed to regrouping and finding an alternative solution to prevent a government shutdown.
The vote marked a significant setback for President-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk, who had criticized Johnson's bipartisan deal—an agreement between Republicans and Democrats aimed at averting a government shutdown during the holiday season.
Read in full from Matthew Impelli on Newsweek.
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