WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday dashed bipartisan efforts to prevent a government shutdown as he urged his fellow Republicans in Congress to reject a stopgap bill that would keep the government funded past the end of the week.
Instead, Trump called for Congress to pass legislation that raises the government’s borrowing authority and extends funding, while also stripping out elements backed by Democrats, whose support would be needed for passage.
Trump’s intervention more than a month before he takes office could complicate efforts to avert a shutdown that would disrupt everything from air travel to law enforcement in the days leading up to the Dec. 25 Christmas holiday.
The president-elect warned that Republicans who vote for the current legislative package could have trouble getting re-elected. “Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried,” Trump wrote on social media.
The stopgap measure, which would fund government agencies at current levels and provide $100 billion for disaster relief and $10 billion in farm aid, includes a wide range of unrelated provisions, such as a pay raise for lawmakers and a crackdown on hidden hotel fees.
Trump said Congress should limit the bill to temporary spending and disaster relief and raise the national debt ceiling now before it becomes a major issue next year. “Unless the Democrats terminate or substantially extend the Debt Ceiling now, I will fight ’till the end,” Trump said on his Truth Social site.
The U.S. government has been operating on a series of short-term funding measures since the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, and the current bill would provide a few extra days of funding. The government’s debt now stands at $36 trillion, and experts warn that failure to raise the debt ceiling could have severe economic consequences.
Musk’s pressure could carry some weight with Republicans, especially those on the right flank. But it may have less impact with Democrats, who represent solidly liberal areas, or senators who will not be up for re-election for another six years.