House Republicans failed on Thursday to muster the majority needed on a spending bill to avert a government shutdown before the weekend, handing President-elect Trump a decisive early test of his ability to unite Republicans in the House. of failure.
The bill failed in a vote of 235 to 174, with 38 Republicans vetoing it.
Not only does the bill fail to get lawmakers to pass it quickly with a two-thirds majority. It also failed to pass the normal standard, the threshold of 218 “yes” votes.
Trump-backed spending bill to avert government shutdown fails in House vote
Among the 38 Republicans who voted against the bill was Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who blasted the funding bill in a speech on the House floor.
Roy spent much of Thursday arguing with Trump over Roy’s opposition to the deal, arguing that the measure would violate Republican principles of fiscal responsibility by allowing $5 trillion to be added to the national debt.
Roy said Republicans who voted to approve the measure lacked “self-respect.”
Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy speaks to reporters near the House chamber. (Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images)
“I’m absolutely disgusted by a political party that has made a theme of fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to say to the American people that you think this is fiscal responsibility,” said Roy, who also opposed the first spending bill. “This is absolutely ridiculous.”
Still, the number of Republicans who failed to comply Thursday night may foreshadow a larger challenge for Trump, who has tried to bend House Speaker Mike Johnson and others in the House Republican majority to his political will. and pass a new bill for a higher debt ceiling.
The bill sparked opposition from fiscal conservatives in both Democrats and Republicans, with Democrats generally opposed to the idea.
President-elect Trump, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk and Donald Trump Jr. attend UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 16. (Keina Betancu/AFP via Getty Images)
and $36 trillion in debt and a $1.8 trillion deficit in 2024, some conservatives opposed proceeding with the resolution, which would have pushed the funding deadline to March and kept spending at 2024 levels. The deal pushed by Trump would include a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling, sparking further opposition from some Republicans.
‘Absolutely not’: House Democrats explode over Republican spending deal
The divide has put pressure on Democrats, who broadly signaled Thursday that they intend to oppose the legislation. Minority leaders spent the day accusing Trump and Musk of interfering in the process and vetoing the first spending deal, which was scheduled to pass with bipartisan support Wednesday night.
Democrats made their dissatisfaction with the way the new spending bill was crafted clear by chanting “Hell no” ahead of Thursday’s vote on the new bill.
President-elect Trump and Louisiana Republican Speaker Mike Johnson are working to prevent a government shutdown. (Getty Images)
Immediately after the bill failed, Johnson began gathering with a group of House Republicans who voted against the bill, possibly in support of another vote on Friday.
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“We are very disappointed that all but two Democrats voted against aid for farmers and ranchers, against disaster relief, against all of these bipartisan negotiations and decisions,” Johnson said after the vote failed. Measures. “Again, the only difference in this legislation is that we delay the debt ceiling until January 2027.
“I want all of you to remember that just last spring, the same Democrats were scolding Republicans and saying holding the debt ceiling hostage was irresponsible.”
