The House of Representatives on Thursday killed Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-Louisiana) Plan B to avoid a government shutdown and suspend the debt ceiling, dealing a blow to Republican leadership and sending the session to a halt with an eye on Friday's funding deadline. I returned it to .
The bill, launched by Johnson about three hours before the vote, failed to pass the floor by a vote of 174 to 235 to 1, meeting the two-thirds majority needed to pass under the fast-track suspension of the rules process. It fell below the standard. .
The bill was opposed by Democrats led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who called it “ridiculous,” and a handful of conservative Republicans. The bill was scrapped because it included a two-year suspension. The debt limit was a demand of President-elect Trump.
It remains unclear what path Johnson will take next. Given Republican opposition, the bill is unlikely to pass with a narrow Republican majority if Johnson tries to bring it to a vote again through the longer regular rules process, which requires only a simple majority.
After the vote, House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) said leadership had no plans to send the bill to the Rules Committee.
“It's not in this bill…not right now,” he said. “We're going to have some more conversations. We're going to keep talking, so I'm not saying there's nothing left.”
Speaking to reporters during the vote, Johnson did not say what the next steps would be.
But the clock is ticking, and if Congress doesn't approve any legislation by 11:59 p.m. Friday, the government will shut down.
The failed vote left Mr Johnson, who is scrambling to avert a government shutdown by a looming deadline and keep his hand on the gavel into next year, backing the policy plan after undermining the speaker's original proposal. This is a blow to Trump.
Mr. Johnson laid out Plan B on Thursday afternoon after an hours-long closed-door meeting with ideologically diverse House Republicans. suggestion It will keep government funding at current levels through March 14, suspend the debt ceiling for two years, and earmark about $100 billion for disaster relief and $10 billion to support farmers, while It would likely remove many of the policy provisions in the proposal. 1,500 pages of transactions.
President Trump quickly endorsed the deal, calling it a “very good deal for the American people” and urging lawmakers to support it.
But a handful of Republican lawmakers almost immediately rejected the call and slammed the bill.
“More debt. More government. $4 trillion more credit card spending with zero spending restraints or cuts. A firm no,” said Chip, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.・Congressman Roy (R-Texas) wrote about X.
Democrats also opposed the bill en masse. At a closed House Democratic caucus meeting after the bill was introduced, members could be heard shouting “absolutely no.”
Thursday's legal proceedings mark the latest development in this week's government funding debacle. The debacle began after Congressional negotiators staged a stopgap measure, escalated as Republicans from all walks of life opposed the bill, and peaked as President Trump announced his opposition to the bipartisan bill. The high tide has been reached. There is no prospect of clearing the room.
The turn of events sent Republicans back to square one, huddled in Mr. Johnson's office for hours trying to come up with an alternative. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance also participated in these talks on various occasions.
The original funding plan drawn up by Congressional negotiators would fund the government at current levels through March 14, extend the Farm Bill by one year, provide about $100 billion in disaster relief, and provide economic relief to farmers. Approximately $100 billion was expected to be allocated to aid and other purposes. Authorization.
But Johnson never took up the bill after President Trump and his allies, as well as numerous Republican lawmakers, announced their opposition to the bill.
President Trump's call to lift the debt ceiling throws an 11th-hour curveball into government funding negotiations, with just hours left until the funding deadline, an issue that typically requires painstaking and lengthy negotiations. brought into discussion.
Congress is expected to take action on the debt by at least mid-2025. But President Trump on Wednesday expressed concern that Democrats would use the must-pass issue as leverage, at one point calling it a “TRAP.”
