President Mike Johnson said Thursday night that Republicans would “come together” and “find another solution” after the failure of the government funding bill they negotiated with President-elect Donald Trump to prevent a government shutdown.
The bill failed by a vote of 174 to 235 to 1, with 38 Republicans voting against it.
Johnson blamed Democrats for the bill’s failure.
“The only difference with this legislation was that we would extend the debt ceiling until January 2027,” Johnson said. “I want you all to remember that it was last spring that the same Democrats chastised Republicans and said it was irresponsible to hold the debt limit, the debt ceiling, hostage. What has changed?
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrated the bill’s defeat, saying in a statement that Republicans were “not serious” about helping the American working class.
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday approved the House Republican’s deal to continue funding the government through March and avoid a government shutdown at the end of the week.
“All Republicans, and even Democrats, should do what’s best for our country and vote ‘YES’ on this bill TONIGHT!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump said “the recently approved American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the government open, fund our large farmers and others, and provide aid to those severely impacted by devastating hurricanes.”
He also said the bill would push the debt ceiling back to January 2027 from June next year. Congress last raised the country’s borrowing limit in June 2023 and suspended it until June 2025.
“A VERY important element, VITAL to the America First agenda, has also been added: the date of the very unnecessary debt ceiling will be pushed back by two years, to January 30, 2027. We can now restore the greatness of the America, very quickly, is what the people have mandated us to accomplish,” Trump wrote.
GOP House leaders and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance hoped to assuage both Trump’s demands that any legislation to fund the government also address raising or eliminating the nation’s debt ceiling, as well as right-wing House Republicans, traditionally opposed to any spending. increase in transaction or debt limit.
Meanwhile, Democrats have refused to back down from the deal they originally made with Republicans and which Trump and Elon Musk demolished on Wednesday.
Jeffries called the latest proposal “laughable” as Democrats gathered to strategize their next move.
“The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious. It’s laughable. Extremist MAGA Republicans are leading us to a government shutdown,” he said.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin said it was unclear who Democrats were negotiating with: Trump or Musk.
Asked about Republicans saying they have now done their part and that Democrats would own any shutdown, Raskin said: “It’s an intolerable way to go…Democrats are going to try to figure out how to save the property public of the wreck just impose on us.
That bipartisan deal called for extending government spending at current levels through March and added other provisions such as aid to disaster victims and farmers and increased salaries for members of Congress.
Things changed on Wednesday after Musk launched a pressure campaign on X with several posts opposing the deal. Later in the day, Trump and Vance released a statement calling on Congress to “pass a streamlined spending bill,” with the president-elect echoing Musk’s threats to prioritize any GOP member who doesn’t would not comply with it.
Trump told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl on Thursday morning that there would be a government shutdown unless Congress eliminates the debt ceiling or extends the government borrowing limit before he takes office.
“We are not going to fall into the quicksand of the debt ceiling,” he said. “There will be nothing approved until the debt ceiling is removed.”
Under current law, the federal government would reach its borrowing limit in spring 2025, during the first months of the second Trump presidency. Trump, however, has said he wants it taken care of now, while Joe Biden is president.
“Shutdowns only concern the person who is president,” Trump said.
House Minority Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaks to the press while flanked by Rep. Katherine Clark and Rep. Pete Aguilar on Capitol Hill, December 18, 2024, in Washington.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Some Senate Republicans, including John Kennedy and Mike Rounds, expressed displeasure with Johnson’s bill and praised Trump for his intervention.
But Sen. Thom Tillis, whose home state was devastated by Hurricane Helene, said he would do everything in his power to slow the passage of any government funding bill that doesn’t not including disaster relief.
Congress faces a deadline of Friday evening, when the current government funding extension expires, to pass a new one or nonessential agencies would close their doors.
Republicans from all sides were seen entering and exiting the president’s office Thursday — including House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Texas Rep. Chip Roy and Freedom Caucus Chairman , Andy Harris of Maryland.
Senator John Thune speaks to reporters about the proposed budget resolution that would avert a looming government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol, December 18, 2024, in Washington.
Puce Somodevilla/Getty Images
Jeffries told reporters that raising the debt ceiling as part of the government funding bill was “premature at best.”
“We’re going to continue to maintain an open line of communication to see if we can resolve this issue on terms that benefit ordinary Americans,” Jeffries said when asked if he was speaking to Johnson.
Behind closed doors at a caucus Thursday morning, Jeffries delivered the same message to Democrats: Republicans have given up on a bipartisan deal and now must find a way out.
“This kind of chaos and dysfunction has real impacts on hard-working people,” said Rep. Kathy Castor, Democrat of Florida.
Rep. Bill Keating, Democrat of Mass., told ABC News that Jeffries quoted President John F. Kennedy at caucus: “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never be afraid to negotiate.”
“He said, look, we kept all of our doors open during this negotiation. We made concessions. Most of us were not happy with the outcome of this, but you have to do your basic work. He “We’re open to anything, but we’re not open to the kind of intimidation tactics that Elon Musk is doing,” Keating said.
U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer speaks with members of the media as he leaves the office of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson in Washington , on December 19, 2024.
Léa Millis/Reuters
Rep. Brad Sherman, Democrat of California, joked: “We had a deal. We negotiated a deal, and then Musk decided to change the deal. Should I call him ‘President Musk?'”
Texas Rep. Greg Casar, the new chairman of the Progressive Caucus, also criticized Musk.
“If Elon Musk is somehow a co-president cosplayer here, I don’t know why Trump doesn’t just give him the Oval Office, or why President Johnson should maybe just give Elon Musk the gavel. they just want this billionaire to run the country’s Oval Office,” Casar said.
While many Democrats support eliminating the debt limit in principle, members left their closed-door meeting to oppose its adoption now as part of a spending deal, emphasizing that it should be a separate question.
ABC News’ Emily Chang, Ivan Pereira and Jay O’Brien contributed to this report.
