On Thursday night, Republicans broke with Donald Trump as many voted against his endorsed bill to fund the government for three months and suspend the debt ceiling for two years. Without its passage, a partial shutdown is set to begin Friday night.
A total of 38 Republicans joined forces with most Democrats, except for three, to vote against their party’s leaders. This left House Speaker Mike Johnson unable to move forward, given the significant opposition within his own party.
This proposal was a rushed replacement by Republicans after Trump and his ally, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, criticized and derailed the previous bill on Wednesday. The latest failed version included a provision to suspend the US debt ceiling, which caps federal borrowing, for two years.
The suspension was a last-minute addition to the proposal. However, Trump expressed his desire to avoid dealing with the debt limit and called for its permanent abolition. As for the new proposal, it included a $110 billion extension for disaster relief and farm aid, a key priority for House Democrats.
Although Republicans hold the majority in the House, it is by only a small margin. This slim majority makes it challenging to pass significant legislation without at least some bipartisan support from Democrats.
