Government Shutdown Looms As House Votes Down ‘Clean’ Spending

Update: Congress has avoided a shutdown in the final moments. Fox News reports that “House Republican negotiators have tentatively reached an agreement on averting a partial government shutdown at the end of Friday, sources told Fox News Digital.

Two people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital that the deal would include a short-term extension of this year’s federal funding levels, disaster aid funding and agricultural aid for farmers — but under three separate bills.

It would also involve an agreement to act on the debt limit next year as part of Republicans’ planned massive conservative policy overhaul via a process called reconciliation.”

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In a significant setback for House Republican leadership, lawmakers voted 174-235 on Thursday to reject a stopgap spending bill intended to extend federal funding into the coming year. The defeat, occurring just one day before funding is set to expire, places numerous government agencies at the brink of a shutdown.

The bill required a two-thirds majority under expedited procedures but failed to secure enough support, with nearly all Democrats and 38 Republicans voting against it. GOP leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, now face mounting pressure to navigate the competing demands of hard-line conservatives and moderates within their party to forge a new path forward, reported The Washington Examiner.

The proposed continuing resolution aimed to maintain current funding levels through March 14 while allocating $110 billion for disaster relief and agricultural assistance. However, a provision to suspend the debt ceiling until January 2027 became a contentious issue, deepening divisions among Republican lawmakers.

Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, opposed the debt ceiling measure, calling it a “hard no” in a social media post and criticizing the lack of accompanying spending cuts to address rising government debt. The provision, added late at the urging of President-elect Donald Trump, became a rallying point for conservative opposition. Trump had urged Republicans to reject any funding plan that did not tackle the debt ceiling.

Efforts to garner bipartisan support fell flat, with only two Democrats—Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, from Washington, and Kathy Castor of Florida—backing the measure. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the proposal as “laughable,” accusing the GOP of risking a shutdown through political dysfunction.

He also has developed an obsession with Elon Musk, calling a limited bill that merely funds the government rather than serving as a wish list for special interests the “Musk-Johnson” proposal.

Democrat House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on new CR bill:

“The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious. It’s laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown.”

Democrats are mad we aren’t wasting taxpayer money. pic.twitter.com/dPA1h8tEoC

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 19, 2024

The bill’s failure leaves Congress with limited time to avert a funding lapse, which would disrupt numerous federal services until a new agreement is reached. GOP leadership must now decide whether to revise the bill to appease conservative hardliners or seek bipartisan compromise—a strategy fraught with political risk. Without a resolution, the government faces the prospect of a prolonged shutdown, adding further complications to the early days of Trump’s second term and calling into question Johnson’s capacity to unify his party.

[Read More: Massive Spending Bill Dies]