The U.S. is on the brink of a partial government shutdown after a Trump-backed spending bill failed in the House on Thursday evening. With the deadline looming at 11:59 p.m. Friday and ongoing political infighting, a shutdown appears increasingly likely.
The bill’s defeat, coupled with signs of Republican infighting and sharp criticism from both allies and opponents, raises brand new questions about whether President-elect Donald Trump can successfully advance his agenda when he takes office in January.
Many on the right are accusing Democrats of putting us in danger of a shutdown.
“The deal on the table will keep the government open, and if you guys choose to shut it down, it will be on YOU, NOT the Republican Party!” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R- Fla.) told Democrats on the House floor.
Previous: BREAKING: House Rejects Slimmer Funding Bill as Shutdown Looms. What's Next?
"The Democrats voted to shut down the government, rejecting a clean CR to deny the president negotiating leverage in his new term," said incoming Vice President J.D. Vance. "They’d rather shut it down to fight for global censorship bulls**t. They’ve asked for a shutdown, and that’s exactly what they’re going to get."
But we have to be honest here. Republicans have the majority in the House. Had all Republicans voted for it, it would have passed.
Now, it’s worth noting that the original version of the bill was 1,300 pages, but the final version, which had the support of Donald Trump, was just under 200. Yet, for some reason, nearly 40 Republicans voted against it.
Here’s a list of the 38 Republicans who voted against the Trump endorsed CR tonight.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) December 20, 2024
Aaron Bean
Andy Biggs
Josh Brecheen
Tim Burchett
Eric Burlison
Kat Cammack
Michael Cloud
Andrew Clyde
Eli Crane
John Curtis
Jeff Duncan
Russ Fulcher
Bob Good
Paul Gosar
Andy Harris
Wesley Hunt…
Now, we know that Democrats love shutdowns because they see them as opportunities to spin them as being the Republicans' fault. You may recall an incident where one particular Democrat pulled the fire alarm in order to delay a vote to keep the government funded. Democrats are never going to help the GOP, and there’s no reason to expect they ever will. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer celebrated the failure of the bill.
"It's a good thing the bill failed in the House," Schumer told reporters Thursday evening. "And now it's time to go back to the bipartisan agreement we came to."
The problem is that the slim House GOP majority can’t ever agree on anything.
Had the bill passed in the House and the Senate rejected it, Schumer and the Democrats would absolutely be to blame. But, what concerns me about the failure of the Trump-backed CR to pass is that it may reflect an unwillingness among some Republicans to unite behind his agenda, a troubling sign as Trump’s second term approaches.
I don't know whether a shutdown will happen or not, but this was a test of the GOP's abliity to unite and get things done, and now I'm concerned that this Republican disarray foreshadows challenges for Trump’s legislative goals next year.
The inability to rally support behind a spending resolution—despite its alignment with MAGA principles—raises concerns about how the GOP will manage more ambitious proposals to get this country back on track. Without party unity, even Republican majorities in both houses of Congress may struggle to deliver on Trump’s agenda.
