House Republicans have reached an agreement on a path to avert a looming government shutdown, and President-elect Donald Trump is calling on all members of the chamber to pass it as soon as Thursday night.
The new funding agreement keeps the government's lights on for three months, re-increases agricultural aid, adds a two-year suspension of debt limits and supplements to disaster relief, until January 30, 2027, while previously Other aspects of the agreement will be cut. The deal that came under fire on Wednesday was Go to the bill text on page 116.
“Speaker Mike Johnson and the House of Representatives have reached an agreement that is very good for the American people,” President Trump announced on Truth Social.
“Every Republican, and even Democrats, should do what’s best for our country and vote YES on this bill tonight!”
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Thomas Cole (R-Okla.) and Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) spoke without elaborating after a day of deliberations around 3:30 p.m. He confirmed to reporters that there was an agreement. speaker's office.
An earlier draft agreement, more than 1,500 pages long, died after intense lobbying by tech billionaire Elon Musk, Department of Government Efficiency co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy and other House fiscal hawks.
Lawmakers could vote in the House as early as 6 p.m., sources told the Post, but it is unclear whether the bill will be approved by the Rules Committee or immediately considered.
Under House rules, any proposal that doesn't make it out of committee must garner two-thirds support in the House, meaning some Democrats will have to cross the aisle to vote in favor of funding extensions. Become.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) remained holed up in his office until Thursday, as numerous Republican lawmakers came in and out of the office.
Lawmakers involved in the talks say President Trump, who on Wednesday voiced opposition to the previous government funding plan, was kept informed of the deal both through his staff and in person.
President Trump went on to say, “The newly agreed American Rescue Act of 2024 will keep our government functioning and provide funding to our great farmers and others severely impacted by devastating hurricanes.” It will provide relief to the people,” he added.
News of the agreement comes as the House Freedom Caucus meets to plan for the situation. The leadership appears to want to pass the agreement as quickly as possible.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously signaled his intention to abide by the 72-hour rule, which is intended to give member states time to read through the agreement. But the failure of the previous 1,547-page bill has made that less likely.
The new deal would remove provisions from the previous deal, including pay increases for members of Congress, up to $2 billion in funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and reforms aimed at cracking down on drug benefit managers. Become.
After rescinding previous government funding programs, President Trump called on Congress to address the debt limit, which had been suspended until early next year.
This split the hard-line Republican Party, which was also furious about the original deal.
After details of the deal trickled out, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) furiously told reporters, “This is a watered-down version of the same crappy bill that people were angry about yesterday.”
Currently, if passed, the debt ceiling would be suspended until January 30, 2027.
Mr. Roy was in Mr. Johnson's office on Thursday, and Mr. Trump lambasted Mr. Roy on Truth Social. The president-elect previously came under fire for endorsing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in the 2024 Republican primary.
Democrats have so far been reluctant to say whether they will actively participate.
“House Democrats will continue to fight for the future of families, farmers, and working-class Americans,” House Minority Leader Hakeem (D-N.Y.) told reporters Thursday. “And the best path to making that happen is the bipartisan agreement we negotiated.”
If Congress does not act, the government will enter a partial shutdown after midnight Friday.
Several Republican senators who left Johnson's office on Thursday had expressed a preference for disaster relief and farmer support to be included in any package.
The bill must pass the Senate and be signed by President Biden to take effect.
