A bill to avert a partial government shutdown, backed by President-elect Trump, failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night. The bill needed two-thirds of the House chamber to pass, but failed to even get a majority, with the margin falling 174 to 235. Two Democrats voted with the majority of Republicans to pass the bill, while 38 GOP lawmakers opposed it.
The legislation was hastily negotiated after GOP hardliners, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, rebelled against an initial bipartisan deal that would have extended the government funding deadline until March 14 and included a host of unrelated policy riders. The new bill includes several key policies unrelated to keeping the government open, and is much narrower than its 1,547-page predecessor.
The bill extends the government funding deadline through March 14, suspends the debt limit for two years until January 2027, and includes $110 billion in disaster relief aid for Americans affected by storms Milton and Helene. It also includes a measure to cover the cost of rebuilding Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was hit by a barge earlier this year.
President-elect Trump posted on Truth Social: “All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote ‘YES’ for this Bill, TONIGHT!” But the bill hit opposition before the legislative text was even released. Democrats, furious at Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for reneging on their original bipartisan deal, chanted “Hell no” in their closed-door conference meeting to debate the bill, with nearly all House Democrats indicating they would vote against it. Members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus also said they would vote against the bill.