Disaffection ruled in the House Thursday as the second attempt to stave off a government shutdown failed to pass.
A day after a massive stopgap funding package was rejected after triggering an outpouring of anger from conservatives, the House overwhelmingly rejected a narrower bill to keep the government running and suspend the debt ceiling for two years, according to the Washington Times.
The bill was defeated 174-235. Virtually all House Democrats opposed the plan; 38 Republicans sided with them.
Mocking the role Elon Musk had in whipping up opposition to a bigger spending bill Democrats wanted, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the defeated bill the “Musk-Johnson” proposal and said Republicans were under the thumb of “one or two puppet masters,” according to The Washington Post.
Musk returned the favor on X.
“A super fair & simple bill was put to a vote and only 2 Democrats in Congress were in favor. Therefore, responsibility for the shutdown rests squarely on the shoulders of @RepJeffries,” Musk wrote.
First of all, I’m not the author of this proposal. Credit to @realDonaldTrump, @JDVance & @SpeakerJohnson.
Second, this is a MUCH better bill that is closer to being a real continuing resolution (not an omnibus masquerading as a CR), but with support for hurricane victims &… https://t.co/AJTI6BTFdr
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2024
Without a new bill to approve new spending, chunks of the government that are deemed non-essential will shut down as of midnight Friday.
Should Speaker Johnson lose his leadership position for failing so spectacularly?
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday night that he would have another plan developed for a vote on Friday, the Post wrote, but offered no specifics.
Presdient-elect Donald Trump, who supported the bill the House rejected on Thursday, said if a shutdown is to come, now is the time.
“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!” he posted on Truth Social.
A report by Fox News indicated that what it called a “temporary fix” was in the works that would avert a shutdown, but do little more.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said a vote could come Friday morning.
“We’re expecting votes this morning,” Johnson said.
Trump is an active player in the process of getting votes to pass the bill, Fox said it was told by sources it did not name.
On the other hand, President Joe Biden has largely been absent from discussions over the spending bill, Politico reported.
“Biden has remained conspicuously absent outside a brief statement issued by his press secretary — and for now, Democrats said there was little clamor for him to return,” Politico wrote.
“I haven’t gotten any message from President Biden, or heard of anything that he’s saying,” Democratic Rep. Mark Takano of California said. “Elon’s the shot-caller, it’s pretty clear to me.”
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