US House rejects Trump-backed Republican funding bill, government shutdown looms

The US House of Representatives on Thursday (Dec 19) rejected a Republican-led funding bill that was backed by incoming president Donald Trump. This rejection increases the likelihood of a government shutdown as federal agencies run out of cash and begin closing down starting this weekend.

The contentious proposal aimed to suspend the country's borrowing limit for the first two years of President-elect Trump's administration. However, it faced strong opposition from fiscal conservatives within Trump's Republican party.

X CEO Elon Musk took to his platform to blame Democrats and in particular Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for the failure of the bill and said, "A super fair & simple bill was put to a vote and only 2 Democrats in Congress were in favor."

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Trump's pushfor the stopgap bill

The rejection comes despite President-elect Trump urging Congress to support the revised funding bill — the "American Relief Act of 2024," in a bid to avert the government shutdown.

Before the vote, Trump had praised the deal negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson, highlighting provisions such as a debt ceiling extension to January 2027, disaster relief, and agricultural funding.

Declaring the bill as "VITAL to the America First Agenda," Trump called for bipartisan support in a Truth Social post.

Trump's endorsement of the new package followed his objections to a prior bipartisan agreement that derailed negotiations earlier in the week.

His criticism, coupled with resistance from major donor Musk, who also opposed the earlier package, has fuelled internal GOP discord.

Musk,Trump's so-called "efficiency czar," had also taken to social media to express support for the revised bill.

Democratic resistance

House Democrats, however, swiftly dismissed the new proposal, with Minority Leader Jeffries calling it "laughable" and accusing "extreme MAGA Republicans" of steering the country toward a shutdown.

The White House described it as a "giveaway for billionaires."

(With inputs from agencies)