A Republican lawmaker is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to make his way to Washington, D.C., and help negotiate a funding agreement that will prevent a government shutdown just hours before the deadline.
"I think that would be wonderful," said Rep. Dusty Johnson in an interview. "He is, not infrequently, a disruptive force, and that is a good thing," he added, claiming that Trump has "some strongly held opinions about what we'd like to see in this package."
"If he got here, I think we would be able to get a really good package together quickly," Johnson added. He was echoing comments also made by Sen. Kevin Cramer, who also called on Trump to get physically involved in the negotiations.
The scenario continues to be uncertain after Republicans failed to get enough votes and pass a slimmed-down initiative on Thursday despite it being supported by Trump.
Key to its demise was the opposition of 38 Republicans. "Why would we give Joe Biden more money this late in his administration?" said Rep. Bob Good after voting against the bill. "The money intended for disaster victims should have been paid for, there should have been offsets."
The bill was soundly defeated, getting only 174 votes in favor and 235 against. Democrats and Republicans have been engaged in a blame game since, with the former focusing on the outsized role Musk is having.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose position is increasingly unstable amid the fiasco, said House votes are expected this morning. "We've got a plan," he told reporters. NBC News reported that the Rules Committee is set to meet to move forward with a new spending plan.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Republicans to return to the original agreement negotiated by both parties. "It's time for that. It's time the House votes on our bipartisan CR. It's the quickest, simplest and easiest way we can make sure the government stays open while delivering critical emergency aid to the American people," he said on the Senate floor.
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