President-elect Donald Trump's meddling in a bipartisan spending bill appears to have backfired Thursday after the House -- including dozens of Republicans -- voted against his proposal to keep the federal government open.
After Trump tried to kill the previously negotiated bill Wednesday with strong opposition from him and DOGE appointees Elon Musk and Vivak Ramaswamy, he backed a new plan Thursday and encouraged Republicans to support the measure.
However, with a coalition of angry Democrats and 38 jilted Republicans, the bill failed to get the two-thirds vote needed for passage, failing 235-174. Now the clock is ticking to strike a deal or face a government shutdown at midnight Friday.
"SUCCESS in Washington!" Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, before the vote. "The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes. The date of the very unnecessary Debt Ceiling will be pushed out two years, to January 30, 2027. All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote "YES" for this Bill, TONIGHT!"
But even some of Trump's most ardent supporters voted against the hastily assembled bill, which also included a plan to suspend the debt ceiling for two years. There was also a $110 billion extension of disaster funds and farm aid.
The threat of a government shutdown leaves millions of workers worried about having to go without a paycheck during the holidays.
