WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump excoriated a bipartisan government funding bill Wednesday afternoon, throwing the stopgap measure into chaos just as leaders of both parties were hoping to pass it.
The joint statement between Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance gravely jeopardizes the bill’s prospects in the Republican-controlled House, where Trump wields significant influence.
The bill would have kept the government open until March 14. A shutdown will occur this Saturday at 12:01 a.m. without action from Congress. There is currently no fallback plan.
“Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF,” Trump and Vance said. “It is [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer and [President Joe] Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief.”
In a shocking twist, Trump also demanded that the legislation include a debt ceiling increase, which neither party had even been considering. It’s expected to come up in the middle of next year, and Trump made clear he wanted it to happen on Biden’s watch.
“Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch,” Trump and Vance said. “If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now. And we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want.”
Trump’s statement said the solution is a “temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country.”
The statement came after various conservatives — inside and outside Congress — blasted the legislation, which Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., published Tuesday.
“This is a s— sandwich,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. “I don’t know how else to say that. We’re being forced into this position.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., warned that if Republicans abandon the deal they’ll own a government shutdown.
“House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government,” Jeffries wrote on X. “And hurt the working class Americans they claim to support. You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow.”
Within 24 hours of the bill’s release, Elon Musk, Trump’s billionaire ally, slammed it in a torrent of posts to his over 200 million followers on X, before calling for a monthlong government shutdown until Jan. 20, when Trump is sworn in.
“Kill the Bill,” Musk wrote.
He boosted and thanked various Republican lawmakers who announced they would vote against the measure, adding: “One of the worst bills ever written.”
Some House Republicans felt encouraged by Musk’s attack on the legislation, which would keep the government open until March 14 and includes provisions to give lawmakers a pay raise, among many other policy measures negotiated by the two parties.
“I love it,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said of the opposition. “And I love the fact that they’re paying attention, because I didn’t come up here to continue this reckless funding process.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also praised Musk.
“Elon put out a pretty serious post there. But you know, that’s the sentiment of the American people,” she said. “This is why we won on November 5. Everyone is sick and tired of overspending.”
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., the chair of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, said Wednesday: “The American people didn’t, don’t send their representatives to Washington to vote on a 1,500-page bill in less than 24 hours that spends $110 billion, adds $110 billion to the deficit without the opportunity to offer an amendment to perhaps pay for this bill. The process is broken.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said a government shutdown would be “unfortunate” as it “puts a lot of people at risk,” particularly those who need the disaster aid attached to it.
She also questioned if Trump was getting rolled by Musk.
“You have to ask Donald Trump — if Elon Musk is making the decisions,” Shaheen said Wednesday.
Some Republicans are blaming the mess on Johnson.
“Johnson really f—ed this up. He put out a really bad bill,” said one Senate GOP leadership aide familiar with discussions.
Asked if the bill was dead, the aide replied: “We’ll see … but looks very bad.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
