Congress Works to Pass Spending Bill as Government Shutdown Looms

What Happened?

House Republicans have introduced a new plan to keep the government funded through the spring and suspend the nation's debt limit for two years.

The new deal, now only 116 pages, would extend government funding for three months, suspend the debt ceiling until January 2027, and provide $110 billion in disaster aid.

Trump took to Truth Social claiming 'SUCCESS in Washington!'

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the proposal is ‘not serious’, and called it ‘laughable,’ according to reports.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson made a last-minute effort Wednesday to pass a bipartisan spending bill to avoid a late-December government shutdown.

Lawmakers now face a 48-hour deadline to approve new spending before current funding is set to run out by end of day Friday.

The Office of Management and Budget informed federal agencies to begin communicating with employees Thursday morning about shutdown procedures, according to a report.

Congress reached an agreement Tuesday to keep the government funded through March. However, fallout occurred after a series of add-ons were introduced to the 1,547-page agreement.

Among the billions of dollars in add-ons criticized was a provision to allow an automatic cost of living increase to go into effect for lawmakers.

The transfer of administrative jurisdiction over the RFK Memorial Stadium Campus in Washington D.C. to the district was also included in negotiating the return of the Washington Commanders NFL football team.

Republican members opposed the continuing resolution, including President-elect Donald Trump, who reportedly is 'totally against' it.

In a joint statement, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance pointed to parts of the new proposed spending bill that would give Congress a pay increase 'while many Americans are struggling this Christmas.'

Trump and Vance also support increasing the debt ceiling, which reportedly limits how much the government can borrow to pay its bills.

Trump reiterated this during a phone interview with NBC News, claiming that doing so would be the 'smartest thing [Congress] could do.'

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) posted on social media Thursday to also support Trump's call to abolish the debt ceiling.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) confirmed Wednesday in Capitol Hill that 'there's no new agreement right now.'

Why it Matters

Lawmakers like the House Freedom Caucus have expressed frustrations among the heft load of page add-ons that include over $100 billion in unpaid-for spending.

Johnson had reportedly vowed to give members 72 hours to read the bill before a vote, but Wednesday would have given less than 24 hours to go through 1,547 pages of text language.

The move has further divided trust among some congressional members as many point to the incoming voice of leadership from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Led by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, DOGE aims to be a voice for the people and 'decentralize the narrative around government spending.'

The effort is to hold government entities accountable for decisions directly relating to the nation's debt crisis.

How it Affects You

Trump's new administration will consist of new strategic groups that aim to take a different approach to government transparency.

Teams like DOGE and millions of taxpayers have an influential say among elected officials and their decisions that impact the future.