A government shutdown looms after House fails to pass funding plan. Here's what you should know
Congress is barreling toward a government shutdown after the GOP-led House failed to pass a funding plan backed by President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday, leaving Hill Republicans scrambling to find a path forward.
The Trump-endorsed plan was opposed by almost all Democrats, who are frustrated and angry after the president-elect tanked an earlier bipartisan deal, and a significant number of Republicans.
Government funding expires at the end of the day on Friday.
Here’s what else you should know:
What was in the bill:
- The GOP measure included a three-month extension of government funding, a two-year suspension of the debt limit into January 2027, as well as roughly $110 billion for disaster relief, according to five sources.
- The bipartisan deal included a package of reforms for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the controversial middlemen between drug manufacturers and insurers who have raised the ire of Congress and many others with their opaque practices. The new GOP spending bill proposal that failed Thursday did not include sweeping changes for PBMs, sources said.
- House Republicans brought the new proposal to the floor under a maneuver that required a two-thirds majority to pass.
Ahead of the vote:
- The Donald Trump-backed plan was expected to fail ahead of the vote because of opposition from conservative Republicans and most House Democrats, according to many members from both parties.
- House Democrats blasted the contours of the funding measure, not because of what was in it as much as how it came together. Democrats were heard chanting “hell no” inside caucus meeting ahead of the vote. And, at several points, you could hear laughter and applause.
- Prior to the failed vote, GOP Rep. Mike Simpson told CNN he wants House Speaker Mike Johnson to replace any members of the House Rules panel who refuse to support the GOP’s funding plan and prevent it from going to the floor.
Reaction to the failed vote:
- House Republicans who voted against the GOP-negotiated bill argued against the contents of it, including the president-elect’s demand to raise the debt limit.
- Vice President-elect JD Vance blamed Democrats after the House failed to avert a government shutdown, arguing they are trying to prevent Trump from “negotiating leverage” in the first year of his new term.
- Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also blamed Democrats. They also both said GOP leaders will find another solution
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