'Revolt by conservatives': Fox News reporter warns there 'may not be enough time' to avoid shutdown

On Wednesday, December 18, a combination of GOP and Democratic lawmakers appeared to have avoided a federal government shutdown. But that was before Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk spoke out against it on his X platform, formerly Twitter.

Musk, who President-elect Donald Trump has picked to head a new agency that would be called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tweeted, "Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!"

The following day on X, Fox News reporter Chad Pergram posted a "User’s Manual To What To Expect Today As GOPers Try To Salvage Spending Package."

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Pergram observed, "The revolt by conservatives and the sudden infusion into negotiations of President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect Vance and Elon Musk has House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and others struggling to find a way out of their political cul-de-sac and avoiding a government shutdown at 12:00:01 am et Saturday."

Fox News, Pergram added, "is told that Mr. Trump's unexpected demand to tackle the debt ceiling in this package complicated matters exponentially."

"Many conservatives won't vote for any debt ceiling increase," Pergram tweeted. "And Democrats are balking because Republicans reneged on the deal."

The Saturday, December 21 deadline for funding the United States' federal government is drawing closer and closer. And Pergram warned that "there may not be enough time to avoid a shutdown, especially if a new bill is to be produced and conservatives demand that it lay fallow for three days before voting."

READ MORE: Senator slams 'President Elon Musk' for derailing bipartisan spending deal as shutdown looms

"So, many Members with whom Fox spoke last night are now resigned to a VERY HIGH chance of a government shutdown - perhaps one which bleeds through Christmas," Pergram tweeted. "There simply isn't a combination of votes which unlocks this puzzle yet. We also haven't even addressed disaster aid."

The Fox News reporter added, "Some conservatives are opposed to that for North Carolina and Florida without offsets. The fate of assistance after Hurricanes Helene and Milton is now in serious limbo."

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