Government funding plan collapses over new Trump demands

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan to avoid a holiday government shutdown, instead asking House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to virtually begin a renegotiation a few days before the deadline for federal funds to run out.

Trump’s sudden entry into the debate and his new demands caused chaos in Congress as lawmakers try to finish their work and return home for the Christmas holidays. This forces Johnson to try to draw up a new plan before Friday, the deadline to keep the government running.

“Republicans must be smart and tough,” Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance said in a statement.

Trump presented a far-fetched proposal that ties the continuation of some government funding to a much more controversial provision to raise the country’s debt limit, something his own party typically rejects.

“Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” they wrote.

Democrats attacked internal disputes in the Republican Party over the stopgap measure, which would also have provided about $100 billion in aid to states hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

“Republican representatives have been ordered to shut down the government,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.

“And they hurt the working-class Americans they claim to support. If you break the bipartisan agreement, you assume the consequences.”

The massive 1,500-page bill was already on the brink of collapse after hardline conservatives rejected an increase in federal spending, egged on by Trump ally billionaire Elon Musk, who rejected the plan almost as soon as it was released. It was published Tuesday night.

Rank-and-file lawmakers complained about the additional spending, which includes their first pay raises in more than a decade, surprising after one of the most unproductive and chaotic sessions in recent memory.

Several Republicans were still waiting to receive a signal from Trump about whether they should vote for or against the measure.

Not even the addition of much-needed natural disaster relief funds, some $100.4 billion after hurricanes and other disasters, and more than $10 billion in economic aid for farmers, could convince a pro-American Republican Party. of budget cuts.

“This should not be approved,” Musk posted on his X social media platform early Wednesday.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.