WASHINGTON (AP) — The House of Representatives rejected on Thursday the new plan pushed by Donald Trump to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling one day before the deadline for a government shutdown, after Democrats refused to cater to the sudden demands of the president-elect and the rushed solution presented by Republican leadership.
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In a rushed vote, marked by displays of frustration over a self-inflicted crisis, lawmakers failed to reach the necessary two-thirds threshold for its approval. The president of the lower chamber, Mike Johnson, however, appeared determined to try again before the midnight deadline on Friday expires.
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"We are going to do the right thing," Johnson said before the vote. But he didn't even get a majority, with 174 votes in favor and 235 against.
Why is this vote a blow to Donald Trump and Elon Musk?
The outcome is a harsh blow for Trump and his ally, the billionaire Elon Musk, who lashed out against the bipartisan agreement that Johnson had reached in recent days to avoid a government shutdown during the holiday season.
The result provides a glimpse of the turbulence that is coming when Trump returns to the White House with the Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress. During his first term, Trump led the Republicans to the longest government shutdown in history, which occurred during the 2018 holiday season, and disrupted vacations in 2020 by rejecting a bipartisan bill on COVID relief.
Hours earlier, Trump announced "success in Washington!" when presenting the new package that would keep the government operating for another three months and would add $100.4 billion in disaster assistance, including for states affected by hurricanes, and would allow additional loans until January 30, 2027.
"President Mike Johnson and the Chamber have reached a very good agreement," Trump posted.
But the Republicans, who had spent 24 hours negotiating largely among themselves to devise the new plan, encountered strong opposition from the Democrats, who were in no hurry to please the demands of Trump, nor those of their billionaire ally Musk.