US funding plan collapses as Trump makes demands days before shutdown
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Trump rejects bipartisan plan, causing Congress to spiral as lawmakers try to wrap up for holidays amid Friday deadline. Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown before the Friday deadline, instead telling Mike Johnson, the House speaker, and Republicans to essentially renegotiate.
Federal funding runs out on Friday, so members of Congress are racing against the clock before they leave Washington for the holidays to cobble together a short-term spending bill and avoid a shutdown. The measure rejected Wednesday would have extended funding through 14 March.
Trump’s sudden entrance into the debate and new demands sent Congress spiraling. It left Johnson scrambling late into the night at the Capitol. On Thursday morning, Trump told NBC News that Congress should “get rid of” the so-called debt ceiling – a limit on what the US treasury can borrow to pay its bills – a proposal that has traditionally won more support from Democrats than Republicans.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump said eliminating the debt ceiling was the “smartest thing it [Congress] could do – I would support that entirely”. The idea was quickly shot down by the Democratic House leader, Hakeem Jeffries. “GOP extremists want House Democrats to raise the debt ceiling so that House Republicans can lower the amount of your Social Security check. Hard pass”, Jeffries posted on his Bluesky account on Thursday.
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