The Latest: Republicans ready new spending plan as government shutdown looms

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate — days before a deadline when federal funding runs out.

The sudden, new demands have sent Congress spiraling even as lawmakers are trying to wrap up work and head home for the holidays. Johnson was left to scramble ahead of a Friday deadline for keeping the government open.

Here’s the latest:

Democrats dig in their heels, Jeffries tells caucus: ‘Hell no’ on new GOP bill

House Democrats emerged from an hourlong private meeting more determined to oppose the new plan Republicans will be bringing to the House floor in the next hour. Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ message to his members was not no, it was “Hell no,” according to several lawmakers.

Many were frustrated at the process by which their colleagues across the aisle went about the latest negotiations, saying that not including Democrats over the last 12 hours was a mistake.

“There was not even a phone call,” said Rep. Mark Takano, the top Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee.

A former member of leadership, Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, called out Republicans for demanding three days to review bills all session but pushing this latest proposal out in an hour.

“There was no discussion. This was a take-it-or-leave-it deal,” he told reporters. “You know their obsession with the 72-hour rule? This is the 72-second rule.”

New House Republic
an bill omits several provisions sought by both parties

The new House Republican bill to avoid a partial government shutdown no longer includes several provisions that had been sought by members of both parties, such as an effort to criminalize the creation of fake pornographic images through the use of artificial intelligence and another requiring greater oversight and price transparency from pharmacy benefit managers.

Also out is a provision that would transfer control of the land that includes old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia. The transfer was championed by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and would pave the way for the Commanders to potentially build a new stadium in the franchise’s old home. Misinformation amplified online claimed that the bill included $3 billion for a new football stadium, helping to scuttle the measure.

House Republicans dare Democrats to vote against new bill

“I think if Democrats don’t want the government to shut down, they better play ball.” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.

The effort to put the onus on Democrats comes after President-elect Donald Trump blew up a bipartisan stopgap spending proposal. Now they’re trying to shift blame to the Democrats if the second one falters.

“This is a clean, slim CR that provides disaster assistance and assistance for farmers, and it extends the debt suspension so that the next administration can begin to work come the new year,” said Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y. “It’s exactly what we should pass. and there’s no excuse not to unless you want to shut the government down.”

RFK Stadium site provision removed from spending bill, a blow to the Commanders and NFL

A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is no longer included in the slimmed-down short-term spending bill.

The removal is a loss for the NFL’s Commanders, who were hoping to have the land available as an option to build a new stadium. Controlling owner Josh Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied for its inclusion earlier this month.

The initial package included the RFK Stadium land remaining in District control for 99 years.

The Commanders are considering places in D.C., Maryland and Virginia to build a stadium in the coming years. Their lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs through 2027.

The team played at RFK, 2 miles east of the Capitol, from 1961 to 1996 before moving to Maryland.

GOP releases n
ew bill

House Republicans have released a slimmed-down 116-page bill to keep the government running and provide disaster relief that will be voted on later Thursday.

It continues to fund federal agencies through March 14. It also keeps the $100 billion in disaster aid for victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

It also maintains $10 billion in economic assistance for row crop farmers struggling with high input costs and low commodity prices.

It adds one important provision Trump says he needs: It suspends the nation’s debt limit from Jan. 1 of next year to Jan. 30, 2027.

But it removes some of the provisions that drew intense scrutiny after the original package was released, most notably the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009.

Democratic leader: Trump-backed plan ‘laughable’

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the new Trump-backed plan “laughable.”

“It’s not a serious proposal,” the New York lawmaker told reporters walking into a caucus meeting.

Despite what appears to be a breakthrough for Republicans, Democrats seemed unmoved in their opposition to any plan outside of what was negotiated by both sides earlier this week.

Rep: Annie Kuster, chair of one of the largest Democratic caucuses, said that she couldn’t see herself supporting the deal but she was open to hearing what party leaders were going to say.

“Elon Musk is not my constituent. My constituents are hard working people who work very hard every day for every dime they had,” the New Hampshire lawmaker said. “I’m sure as hell not bailing out on them in the final week.”

Trump declares ‘success’ with new budget plan

The president-elect announced that there is a new plan to fund the government and lift the debt ceiling a day before a government shutdown, urging Congress to swiftly pass it in votes as soon as Thursday evening.

Trump’s social media post landed as Republicans said they had narrowed on a tentative accord after grueling closed-door talks. The new plan would keep the government running for three more months, add disaster assistance for hurricane-hit states and others, and allow more borrowing through Jan. 30, 2027, Republicans said.

“SUCCESS in Washington! Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal,” Trump posted.

The next steps are highly uncertain, and it was particularly unclear if Democrats, whose votes would certainly be needed on any package in the face of hardline Republican opposition from conservatives were on board — or were even brought into any negotiations.

Shutdown turmoil is a ‘trailer’ of what’s to come next year, GOP congressman says

The 11th hour scramble. Legislating via social media. Threats of ousting congressional leaders. These are all a preview of what’s to come when Republicans control Congress and Donald Trump is in the White House, said one senior GOP Republican.

Rep. Steve Womack, an Arkansas Republican and senior appropriator, said the collapse of a bipartisan stopgap funding deal this week would “probably be a good trailer right now for the 119th Congress.”

“Stay tuned. Buckle up. Strap in. This is going to be an interesting Congress to watch,” he added.

Womack called Wednesday’s social media posts from Trump and Elon Musk a “gut shot” to House Speaker Mike Johnson that “just absolutely eviscerated that plan.”

He also faulted Republican leadership for not reading Trump’s team into the details of the deal, saying he should have made sure he had Trump’s “blessing” before proceeding.

Key Republican says vote on new funding plan could come tonight

A key Republican who has been part of the negotiations over a new government funding package says Republicans are moving forward with a new plan.

“We have an agreement and I expect a vote tonight,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee that deals with federal spending.

Cole provided no further details on what the deal entails or whether Democrats were consulted.

Republicans have been huddled in Speaker Mike Johnson’s office Thursday to discuss what to do after President-elect Donald Trump demanded that government funding be paired with an increase in the debt limit.

Republican congressman responds to Trump’s primary threat

Shortly after Trump threatened to primary a fellow Republican for not agreeing to his debt limit demands, that congressman responded on the social platform X, saying that he has “no apologies” for his position on the issue.

Rep. Chip Roy said his position on raising the debt limit is “simple.”

“I am not going to raise or suspend the debt ceiling (racking up more debt) without significant & real spending cuts attached to it,” Roy said. “I’ve been negotiating to that end.”

GOP senators from the Carolinas say disaster relief is fundamental

Republican senators from North and South Carolina said no government funding bill would be acceptable to them without including relief for states devastated by natural disasters.

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina entered the meeting with a large stack of papers he said were messages from constituents pleading for aid after Hurricane Helene.

“When you’re in the middle of a crisis, I don’t think anybody’s going to want to hear somebody come to the floor, and talk about fiscal responsibility instead of getting these people a home again, or giving them an opportunity to open up a business again and employ people,” Tillis told reporters.

Tillis made clear he would filibuster any funding bill that does not include disaster relief.

“I agree that CR had bad things in it,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who also said disaster relief “is not pork,” or perceived wasteful spending.

Trump continues primary threats, this time going after far-right Texas lawmaker

For the second day in a row, Trump doled out threats to Republican congressmen not willing to fall in line with his 11th-hour ask to include a debt limit increase with a short-term government funding package.

This time, the president-elect went after Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, who is often aligned with Trump’s policy and political leanings. Roy and his fellow conservatives have been vehemently against any debit limit increases throughout their time in Congress but were blind-sided by Trump’s last-minute ask Wednesday.

“The very unpopular ‘Congressman’ from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory – All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself. Republican obstructionists have to be done away with,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

At Charlie Kirk’s AmericaFest, activists and attendees jeer Speaker Johnson

At a national conservative confab in Arizona, activists and hard-right media voices are celebrating Speaker Mike Johnson’s struggles and mega-billionaire Elon Musk’s assertion of influence.

Podcaster Jack Posobiec took aim at Johnson during a live taping of his talk show, Human Events, as AmericaFest 2024 opened Thursday in Phoenix.

“Should Mike Johnson remain speaker of the House,” he asked, prompting a chorus of “Noooooo!!!” from his audience.

The jeers continued when Posobiec asked whether Johnson should yield the speaker’s gavel. The crowd was less responsive when he asked another question: “Should Elon Musk be speaker of the House?” Still, there were plenty of cheers as an answer.

A rotating cast of Republicans are cycling through Speaker Johnson’s office

Speaker Johnson is spending the day locked in meetings with various factions within the House Republican caucus.

“We’re having honest conversations and we’ll see where it gets us,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Ballart, a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Asked whether the government would shut down, Rep. Andy Harris, chair of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, told reporters: “That discussion will occur, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, another Freedom Caucus member, commuted in and out of Johnson’s office for much of the morning without taking questions from reporters.

Trump signaled awareness of farmers’ concerns

Even as he rejected the deal, Trump suggested that he was at least cognisant of concerns in farm country, which voted heavily for him in the election.

“Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” Trump said in a joint statement Wednesday night with Vance.

According to fresh projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture this month, net farm income is expected to decline 4.1% for 2024 after falling 19.4% in 2023 from the record highs reached in 2022.

Collapse of budget deal over Trump’s objections leaves American farmers in limbo

American farmers are hoping that aid to agriculture will be revived as Congress struggles to pass a short-term spending bill that would keep the federal government funded and avert a looming partial government shutdown set to begin after midnight Friday night.

A one-year extension of federal farm programs, around $30 billion in economic relief and an agreement that would increase sales of a higher blend of ethanol, called E15, were part of a bipartisan deal that collapsed Wednesday.

It’s unclear whether a new deal could come together in time to prevent a shutdown — and whether any of those farm provisions would survive whole or in part, either as part of an extension or in separate legislation.

▶ Read how the scuttled bear would have helped farmers

Trump’s call to eliminate the debt ceiling throws a monkey wrench into funding negotiations

In the past, Democrats have been open to the idea of eliminating the debt ceiling, as Trump has suggested. Sen. Elizabeth Warren backed the proposal earlier today, saying, “I agree with President-elect Trump that Congress should terminate the debt limit and never again govern by hostage taking.”

But doing away with the debt ceiling or even lifting it again would be a big deal, politically and policywise. Like any relationship, it’s not the kind of thing you drop on your negotiating partner at the last minute. Top Democrats have signaled, for now, that they’re in no mood to bargain Johnson and Trump out of their problems.

“President Trump’s last-minute request that the debt ceiling be eliminated throws a whole other issue into the debate,” said Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee. She said “it’s a real worry” that the government could shut down and federal workers would not get paid.

What’s the Speaker to do?

Johnson has several options, with just a day to go before the government begins to shut down, none of them great for his own political survival or Trump’s desired policy outcomes.

Johnson could ask Democrats to help him pass a very stop-gap measure — say a few days or a week of government funding — to push past the Christmas holidays and relaunch negotiations in the new year.

Or he could take a more complicated route of letting the government shut down while spending the weekend trying to broker a deal with rebellious Republicans before bringing it to Democrats to see if they would agree. That seems rough when lawmakers are trying to get out of town for the holidays.

Trump’s abrupt budget demands caught top Republicans by surprise

Donald Trump’s demand to raise the debt ceiling has caught senior Republicans by complete surprise.

“I didn’t expect that we’d be debating this at Christmas time,” said Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

She had pushed for Congress to wrap up the entirety of the government’s budget by the end of the year and said, “It’s ironic that now the president is weighing in saying that we should have done everything to clear the deck for him.”

How wonks feel about the debit limit drama

Trump wants Congress and Biden to scrap the debt limit — his big requirement for averting a government shutdown.

The irony is that lots of budget wonks would also like to see the legal cap on government borrowing go away. It’s just that their motivations are different from what Trump’s appear to be. Here’s what is key to understanding this policy debate:

1. The federal debt is a result of the government spending more than it gets in revenues. Investors and the financial markets step in by lending to the government to make up the difference. The debt ceiling dates back to 1917 and was designed so that Congress wouldn’t have to approve each new debt issuance during World War I. It’s now redundant given that Congress still needs to change spending and tax policies to address debt.

2. The debt ceiling can be a tool in a divided government to extract concessions. Republicans can block Democratic initiatives and vice-versa.

3. By demanding Biden scrap the debt ceiling, Trump could blame the higher budget deficits over the next few years on his predecessor by playing on a public perception that the debt ceiling enabled it. The irony is that deficits might be higher in the coming years because of the tax cuts that Trump wants to extend and sign into law.

DC Mayor corrects misinformation over NFL stadium amplified by Elon Musk

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser tried Thursday to correct misinformation amplified online by Elon Musk about how Congress’ defunct end-of-year spending bill would impact efforts for a potential new stadium for the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

Musk reposted false reports on X, the platform he owns, that claimed Congress’ spending bill includes $3 billion for a new football stadium.

The resolution includes a provision to transfer control of the land including the husk of old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District for 99 years. That transfer is necessary to pave the way for the Commanders to potentially build a new stadium in the franchise’s old home — though the team is still considering other locations.

“It was stated that the CR contains $3 billion for a stadium,” Bowser said. “All wrong. There are no federal dollars related to the transfer of RFK, and in fact the legislation does not require or link at all to a stadium. We’re talking about how the District can invest in removing blight.”

▶ Read more about the misinformation surrounding RFK Stadium

Federal authority to track and disable drones may lapse due to the spending bill’s collapse

Tucked into the bipartisan budget bill that appears to have collapsed was a reauthorization of the federal government’s authority to track and disable drones deemed to be a threat, which is also scheduled to expire at midnight Friday.

The reauthorization is key as suspected drone sightings across the eastern U.S. continue to captivate the public and state and local officials increase their calls for action by the federal government. Federal officials, meanwhile, continue to say there’s no evidence yet of any threats to homeland security or public safety, and many of the objects seen in the skies were actually legal drones, manned aircraft and in some instances stars.

It’s not clear what a lapse in the drone authority would mean, including to drone detection systems the federal government has deployed to several states.

A brief history of government shutdowns

There is often a scramble on Capitol Hill to put together a last-minute funding package to keep the government open just before a deadline, at least temporarily.

Jimmy Carter saw a shutdown every year during his term as president. And there were six shutdowns during President Ronald Reagan’s time in the White House.

Should one occur, the basic rules for who works and who doesn’t date back to the early 1980s and haven’t been significantly modified since. Under a precedent-setting memorandum penned by Reagan’s budget chief David Stockman, federal workers are exempted from furloughs if their jobs are national security-related or if they perform essential activities that “protect life and property.”

The most recent shutdown was six years ago when Trump demanded funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. That shutdown was the longest in U.S. history.

Will a government shutdown affect Social Security checks?

No. Recipients of both Social Security and Medicare would continue to receive their benefits, which are part of mandatory spending that’s not subject to annual appropriations measures. Doctors and hospitals would also continue to get their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.

But, it’s possible that new applications wouldn’t be processed. During a government shutdown in 1996, thousands of Medicare applicants were turned away daily.

Which government agencies would be affected by a shutdown?

Essential government agencies like the FBI, the Border Patrol and the Coast Guard remain open. Transportation Security Administration officers would continue to staff airport checkpoints.

The U.S. Postal Service also won’t be affected because it’s an independent agency.

But national parks and monuments would close, and while troops would stay at their posts, many civilian employees in agencies like the Department of Defense would be sent home.

Automated tax collection would stay on track, but the Internal Revenue Service would stop auditing tax returns.

How would agencies be affected by a shutdown?

Each federal agency determines its own plan for how to handle a shutdown, but basically any government operations deemed nonessential stop happening, and hundreds of thousands of federal employees see their work disrupted.

Sometimes workers are furloughed, meaning that they keep their jobs but temporarily don’t work until the government reopens. Other federal workers may stay on the job but without pay, with the expectation that they would be paid back in full once the government reopens.

Jeffries says Republicans should stick with bipartisan deal

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said a deal is a deal, and any discussion of Trump’s new demands for a debt limit increase are “premature.”

“This reckless Republican driven shutdown can be avoided,” Jeffries said at a press conference at the Capitol.

Republicans should “simply do what is right for the American people and stick with the bipartisan agreement that they themselves negotiated.”

Senior Republicans work to fend off shutdown

Senior Republicans broke from a meeting in the House speaker’s office saying they are still working on a bill to avert a shutdown.

Rep. Tom Emmer, the third-ranked Republican in leadership, said the situation was “fluid.”

Rep. Tom Cole, the chief Republican appropriator, said work had been “good.”

“I think there’s a path forward,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, another senior Republican appropriator.

Still, any legislation would need Democratic support to pass Congress, leaving Republican leaders a treacherous if not impossible task of meeting Donald Trump’s demands while also gaining Democratic votes.

Democrats response to saving GOP from shutdown chaos? ‘Hard pass.’

Trump and his allies effort to torpedo a bipartisan spending agreement has left Democrats extremely frustrated after spending weeks engaging in good faith negotiations with Republican leadership.

After meeting with his caucus, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries once again rejected any possibility that his members would bail out Republicans as the shutdown threat looms.

“GOP extremists want House Democrats to raise the debt ceiling so that House Republicans can lower the amount of your Social Security check,” Jeffries posted on social media. “Hard pass.”

What is a CR, or continuing resolution?

When Congress is down to the wire on passing measures to fund the federal government, the term “CR” often comes up. What does it mean?

“CR” stands for “continuing resolution,” and it’s a temporary spending bill that lets the federal government stay open and operating before Congress and the president have approved a more permanent appropriation.

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, CRs typically keep the same level of funding of appropriations from the prior year, or a previously approved CR from the current year.

When would a government shutdown start?

If Congress doesn’t approve a continuing resolution or more permanent spending measure by Friday, the federal government could shut down.

This is all happening in part because when the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Congress simply punted the problem by passing a temporary funding bill to keep the government in operation.

That measure expires on Friday.

Trump is vowing to fight until the end. That’s likely a long ways off

President-elect Donald Trump says he’s determined to “fight ’till the end” to get a debt limit increase from Congress. The end, alas, is probably a long ways off.

Congress last suspended the debt limit to January 2025 as part of a package negotiated by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Even though the bill was signed into law, some House Republicans said it didn’t go far enough, and it ended up costing McCarthy his job when eight Republicans sided with Democrats to oust him.

It took months for McCarthy to negotiate the last deal. Now Trump is looking for Johnson to pass a debt ceiling extension days before a partial government shutdown.