Congress approves funding bill, ignoring Trump demand over shutdown

Washington: The US Congress has passed spending legislation in a down-to-the-wire burst of activity that will avert a destabilising government shutdown ahead of the busy holiday travel season.

The Democratic-controlled Senate passed the bill with an 85-11 vote to continue government funding 38 minutes after it expired at midnight. The government did not invoke shutdown procedures in the interim.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer celebrates as the Senate begins voting on the government funding bill.Credit: AP

The bill will now be sent to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law.

The package had earlier cleared the Republican-controlled House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The House approved the new plan from Speaker Mike Johnson that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid but drop President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt-limit increase into the new year.

Johnson insisted that Congress would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to shut down ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day’s outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal – if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures “start now”.

The bill was approved 366-34.

“We will not have a government shutdown,” Johnson said ahead of the vote.

Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media after meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol.Credit: AP

It was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered Speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government – keeping it open. And it raised stark questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep his job in the face of angry Republican colleagues and work alongside Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk, who have called the legislative plays this time.

Republicans went against Donald Trump in Congress to keep the govenrment lights on.Credit: AP

Trump’s last-minute demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no choice but to work around his pressure for a debt-ceiling increase. The speaker knew there wouldn’t be enough support within the Republican majority to pass any funding package, since many Republicans prefer to slash federal government and certainly wouldn’t allow more debt.

Instead, the Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate next year with big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.

“So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?” scoffed Musk on social media ahead of the vote.

The new 118-page package would fund the government at current levels through March and add $US100 billion ($159 million) in disaster aid and $US10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.

Gone is Trump’s demand to lift the debt ceiling, which Republican leaders told lawmakers would be debated as part of their tax and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $US2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.

It’s essentially the same deal that flopped the night before in a spectacular setback.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries was in contact with Johnson, but Democrats were cool to the latest effort after the Republican Speaker reneged on their original bipartisan compromise.

“Welcome back to the MAGA swamp,” Jeffries posted.

Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said it looked like Musk, an unelected official and the wealthiest man in the world, was calling the shots for Trump and the Republicans.

“Who is in charge?” she asked during the debate.

Still, most Democrats approved the bill’s passage.

Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the incoming administration’s new Department of Government Efficiency.

AP

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