The House rejected a bill Thursday to keep the government funded temporarily, after Republican leaders reneged on an earlier bipartisan deal and made modifications to appease President-elect Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and an internal GOP revolt.
The vote was 174-235, with one Democrat voting present, falling far short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass it under a fast-track process. Two Democrats voted for the bill and Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, was the lone present vote, while the rest of the party opposed it. Thirty-eight Republicans voted against the bill as well, with conservatives saying it did not substantially reduce federal spending.
The vote leaves Congress without a clear plan to avoid a looming government shutdown with less than 30 hours left before the deadline, driving up the odds of a funding lapse just ahead of the holidays. A shutdown is slated to begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
The new bill put together by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Republican leaders had Trump’s endorsement but faced speedy opposition from Democratic leaders, who had not signed off prior to its release. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called the proposal “laughable” as Democrats met privately before the vote.
Inside a closed-door meeting of House Democrats before the vote, lawmakers could be heard chanting, “Hell no! Hell no!”