The US House of Representatives rejects the spending bill as the United States approaches a partial government shutdown.
The US House of Representatives has rejected a spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump, raising the possibility of a partial government shutdown as millions of Americans prepare to travel during the holiday season.
The bill passed 174 to 235 Thursday evening after opposition from nearly all Democrats and 38 hard-right Republicans, who took the unusual step of challenging the president-elect's proposal on the grounds that it would add trillions of dollars to the $36 trillion budget. National debt.
The Republican-led bill was a last-ditch effort to avoid a government shutdown after a previous spending package was scuttled by eleventh-hour opposition from Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and tech mogul Elon Musk.
The original spending bill, negotiated by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, had bipartisan support until Trump demanded lawmakers raise the debt ceiling or eliminate it entirely before he took office on January 20.
With weeks to go until his inauguration, Trump is believed to be keen to avoid a fight over the debt limit that could hamper his agenda of sweeping tax cuts and border security measures, which would require trillions of dollars in borrowed money.
The bill approved by Trump was to extend government funding for three months, delay the debt limit until 2027, and allocate $110 billion for disaster relief.
Before Thursday's vote, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the Trump-backed bill as “not serious” and “laughable.”
“MAGA extremist Republicans are leading us to shut down the government,” Jeffries said.
Republicans also criticized the bill, expressing concern about out-of-control spending.
“I will not vote for another increase in debt limits without knowing what the actual cuts are. This is unacceptable,” Republican Representative Chip Roy, a hardline Republican, told US media.
Johnson said after the failed vote that his party would reorganize its ranks and “come up with another solution.”
“So stay tuned,” he told reporters.
Without a plan, the US government will begin a partial shutdown starting at midnight on Friday, when the latest funding round expires.
The shutdown means more than two million federal workers will not receive a paycheck before the US holiday season, with immediate cuts to the US government budget, ranging from immigration to the National Park Service.
For non-government employees, the closure could mean longer lines at the airport in what is already one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.
Some airport employees, such as air traffic controllers, will be asked to continue working without pay, but the FAA has estimated it will have to furlough up to 17,000 workers.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), all but 3,000 of whose 62,000 employees are considered “essential,” warned of the potential delay.
“While our staff is prepared to handle large volumes of travelers and ensure safe travel, please be aware that extended closures may mean longer wait times at airports,” TSA Director David Pekosky said in a post on X.
