 "Trump leaves US Congress spiralling as he opposes stopgap funding bill and pushes for government shutdown")
Weeks before assuming office, US President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance demanded House Republicans and Senate to effectively force the federal government shutdown rather than pass the stopgap funding bill. The bill would have kept the government agencies running at current funding levels through the end of March 2025.
In a joint statement shared by Vance on X, formerly known as Twitter, the president and VP-elect claimed that the bill doesn’t raise the nation’s statutory debt ceiling and accused legislators of “considering a spending bill that would give sweetheart provisions for government censors and for Liz Cheney."
A statement from President Donald J. Trump and Vice President-Elect JD Vance:
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 18, 2024
The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed.…
The president-elect’s sudden entrance into the debate spiralled Congress as lawmakers tried to wrap up their work and head home for the holidays. “Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH,” Trump and JD Vance furthered.
What are Trump’s demands?
In the Wednesday statement, Trump and Vance made an almost unrealistic proposal that combined some continuation of government funds along with a much more controversial provision to raise the country’s debt limit. The provision was routinely rejected by his own party. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” they wrote.
They also complained about the bill not declining an annual pay increase for members of Congress who haven’t gotten a raise in nearly two decades. “Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” the statement reads.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF,” they added. However, what is concerning is the fact that the move by Trump and Vance against the stopgap funding bill came three days before the government was set to run out of money.
The Musk influence
Trump and Vance’s remarks also came after an hours-long stream conducted by billionaire Elon Musk, in which the Tesla CEO threatened to fund primary challengers against any Republican who supported the bill that had been drafted and put forth by Republican leaders in the House. He eventually downplayed the consequences of a government shutdown.
“Shutting down the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill,” the Tesla CEO wrote on X. Musk also endorsed the tweet suggesting that the government should be closed until January 20, when Trump returns to power.
Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024
Musk, who was a prominent funder in Trump’s campaign and will co-head a Department of Government Efficiency with biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, threatened that lawmakers who vote for the bill should be voted out. “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” he wrote.
“Shutting down” the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill https://t.co/jfFCVWd2T2
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024
If Congress does not act and pass a funding plan before the deadline, the government will go into a shutdown. This would mean that all basic services would be slashed, including military pay. Democrats currently control the Senate but are set to hand over control to the Republicans on January 3rd. If Congress waits until Trump assumes office, the government would be shut down for 33 days.
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