House GOP leaders are working on a backup plan after a bipartisan deal to avoid a partial government shutdown was rejected by conservative opposition. The initial deal, which aimed to extend fiscal year 2024 government funding levels, was criticized by President-elect Trump’s pick to co-chair the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, and other Republicans.
The bill, which was 1,547 pages long, included more than $100 billion in disaster aid, $10 billion in economic relief for farmers, and health care reform measures. However, it was met with fierce opposition from the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, who felt blindsided by last-minute additions to the bill.
As a result, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed that the deal was dead and that there were no new agreements in place. He also warned that a partial government shutdown was possible if a new plan was not reached by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, the US national debt continued to rise, reaching $36,189,345,826,140.62, with no signs of slowing down. The federal government’s budget deficit for the recently concluded fiscal year totaled $1.834 trillion, the third-largest in US history.
In an attempt to salvage the deal, House Speaker Mike Johnson will likely propose a new, “skinny” continuing resolution (CR) with disaster aid or agricultural subsidies. However, it remains unclear if the new plan will be enough to win over the opposition.
The development comes as President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance released a joint statement opposing the initial deal, calling for a CR paired with an increase in the US debt limit, which was suspended until January 2025. Trump later said on social media that any Republican who supported a CR without a debt limit increase deserved to be primaried.