Republicans race against the clock to avoid government shutdown

House Republicans are scrambling to avoid a government shutdown on Friday, a situation that would deprive the administration of the funds necessary to meet its financial obligations, such as paying public salaries. This last-minute attempt comes just hours before the deadline, following the derailment of the second funding proposal by Republicans on Thursday night. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, announced early in the day that his caucus had finalized a Plan C, with an imminent vote expected on the package in its entirety or in parts. However, sources close to party leadership warned that, as the afternoon progressed, no consensus had emerged on the way forward. The sense of chaos and legislative gridlock deepened as President-elect Donald Trump insisted on his demands.

The vast majority of Democrats and 38 Republicans rejected a bill on Thursday that combined a three-month extension of government funding, $110 billion in disaster and agricultural aid, and other provisions, with a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling — an amount the government can borrow, with Congressional authorization, to meet its financial obligations. This suspension was a last-minute demand from Trump to fund some of his campaign promises. The third proposal, or Plan C, excludes any increase in the debt limit to appease hard-line Republicans, for whom any change in borrowing capacity — seen as equivalent to more public spending — is unacceptable. It is also a non-starter for Democrats, which led to a convergence of the blue caucus and nearly four dozen Republicans opposing the bill on Thursday.

Plan C would allow for a vote on three separate measures: funding the government, allocating aid for natural disasters, and providing agricultural assistance. However, it would leave out Trump’s main demand — the debt ceiling increase. Trump doubled down on his insistence on Friday that any agreement must include this provision, threatening a government shutdown if it is not included. His statement was clear: “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden administration.” Trump is set to be sworn in on January 20. In response, House leaders were considering a strategy to allow lawmakers to vote separately on funding the government and raising the debt ceiling. Republican representatives were expected to meet in the afternoon to discuss this last-minute proposal.

Senate Republicans have expressed frustration with what they called a “fiasco” and “shitshow” in the House, which has seen two government funding proposals fail in less than 48 hours. Under pressure from Elon Musk, who led an online campaign via his Twitter account, Trump derailed the first bill — a 1,500-page bipartisan deal — claiming it made too many concessions to Democrats. He then pushed through and supported a second bill, which was also defeated. The current issue is less about Musk or Trump and more about the divisions within the House, particularly from the ultra-conservative members of the Freedom Caucus.

If Trump succeeds in shifting responsibility for the government shutdown to the Democratic administration, it would result in significant disruptions. The military would not receive Christmas pay, and millions of Americans who rely on Social Security checks would face delays, along with other administrative obstacles. All federal agencies would be affected. The White House Office of Management and Budget has sent additional guidance to agencies on preparations for the shutdown, with each department determining how many employees will be furloughed and which are considered essential, as well as which activities will be temporarily canceled. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, approximately 875,000 federal civilian workers will be automatically furloughed, while another 1.4 million essential workers will continue working, most without pay. These workers will receive back pay once the impasse is resolved.

At her daily briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained why President Biden had not commented publicly on the impending government shutdown. “This is a mess that Speaker Johnson created, that is his mess to fix,” she said. “There was a deal on the table.” Nevertheless, both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Washington on Friday, cutting short their planned weekend trip.

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