Shutdown Looms as House Rejects Trump-Endorsed Spending Deal

Washington, D.C. — A partial government shutdown appears increasingly inevitable as the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump. The measure, aimed at temporarily funding the government, failed with a vote of 235-174, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage.

The legislation faced opposition from 38 Republicans, who joined 197 Democrats in voting against it. The rejection leaves Congress scrambling to find a solution before government funding expires at midnight Friday.

Turmoil in the House

House Republicans hastily crafted a revised continuing resolution (CR) Thursday, seeking to address concerns raised by Trump and his allies, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The new proposal omitted provisions that had previously sparked division within the GOP.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., spent hours in closed-door negotiations, attempting to rally support for the pared-down bill. Despite his efforts, the plan failed to gain traction, leaving Republicans divided and Democrats firmly opposed.

“Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who dismissed the proposal as “laughable.”

Fallout of a Government Shutdown

If no agreement is reached, the U.S. government will face a shutdown, affecting federal agencies and services nationwide.

Key impacts of a shutdown include:

Furloughs for federal employees: Hundreds of thousands of government workers deemed “non-essential” will be sent home without pay.

Service disruptions: National parks will close, and food assistance benefits, such as SNAP, could face delays.

Essential services: Programs like Social Security and the U.S. Postal Service will continue to operate, but with limited resources.

The last government shutdown, which occurred under Trump’s first administration, became the longest in U.S. history, lasting 35 days from December 2018 to January 2019.

Next Steps for Congress

House Republicans are expected to reconvene Thursday night to draft another spending measure. With the clock ticking, bipartisan cooperation remains critical, but tensions on Capitol Hill are high.

Democrats remain frustrated after Speaker Johnson abandoned a previous bipartisan agreement in favor of the revised CR. “This isn’t governing. It’s chaos,” said Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass.

The looming shutdown coincides with the holiday season, exacerbating the potential impact on Americans. Meanwhile, the incoming Trump administration’s influence over the process has added another layer of complexity to the already fraught negotiations.

Broader Implications

A shutdown would underscore deep divisions in Washington, with the new Congress and President-elect Trump facing significant challenges in addressing future budgetary disputes.

As the Friday deadline approaches, lawmakers are under intense pressure to find a resolution to avert a shutdown that could disrupt millions of lives and undermine public trust in government.