Allies fear 'disaster is around the corner' as Trump 'stares down first make-or-break moment'

20 December 2024

As the Saturday, December 21 deadline draws closer and closer, the United States appears to be heading for a federal government shutdown.

So far, none of the spending bills proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives have passed. And this budget fight has major implications for President-elect Donald Trump as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).

Trump's second term is only a month away. And Politico's Rachel Bade, in an article published on December 20, stresses that Trump 2.0 is "already staring down what could be its first make-or-break moment. "

"After the Trump-blessed continuing resolution and debt ceiling package failed yesterday with an embarrassingly high 38 House Republicans voting against the proposal," Bade reports, "House Speaker Mike Johnson spent last night wracking his brain for a 'Plan C' to fund the government before funding runs out at midnight tonight. His challenge: Find a path that can keep Trump happy, placate House conservatives, win the support of a substantial number of House Democrats and pass muster with the Democratic-controlled Senate and White House — all while allowing Johnson to keep his gavel come January."

In Washington, D.C., Bade notes, the "conventional wisdom" is "that shutdowns are political losers." But she adds that Johnson and Trump "have been seriously contemplating whether it's best to simply allow a shutdown to happen."

"We're told that both men's teams spent last night weighing what they view as the positives and negatives," Bade reports. "To be clear: Johnson's crew was still trying to find a way out last night."

Vice-President-elect JD Vance has been telling reporters that if a shutdown occurs, House Democrats will be to blame — and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) has been pointing the finger at Republicans.

Meanwhile, Trump is furious with conservative Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) for vehemently opposing a spending bill that the president-elect endorsed and is calling for a primary challenge against Roy.

Trump is also calling for Congress to "get rid of…. the ridiculous debt ceiling" — an idea that some Tea Party Republicans and budget hawks are vehemently opposed to.

"Right or wrong," Bade observes, "there also seems to be a belief among some people close to Trump that some sort of debt ceiling disaster is around the corner and thus, this needs to be dealt with now."

Read Politico's full article at this link.

From Your Site Articles