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Trump demands again to suspend US debt ceiling after Republicans fail to pass spending bill

Donald Trump repeated his demand for the suspension – or even elimination – of the federal borrowing limit and continued a political crisis which threatens a US government shutdown, insisting any shutdown should happen under Biden’s watch rather than his own upcoming administration.

After first posting on his Truth Social social media platform that “Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” Trump soon escalated his rhetoric to write: “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”

Trump suffered a serious setback on Thursday when Republicans in Congress failed to pass a pared-down spending bill – one day before a potential government shutdown that could disrupt Christmas travel and deliver a blow to the US economy just a month before Trump returns to the White House.

By a vote of 174-235, the House of Representatives rejected the Trump-backed package, hastily assembled by Republican leaders after the president-elect and his billionaire ally and increasingly close political partner Elon Musk scuttled a prior bipartisan deal.

The rejection of the bill showed that Trump’s grip on the Republican party is not quite as iron-clad as usually thought. Trump had furiously urged the package to be passed, including threatening to primary any Republicans who opposed it. But a faction of Republican lawmakers on the right – outraged by lifting government borrowing limits – rebelled.

Critics described the breakdown as an early glimpse of the chaos to come when Trump returns to the White House on 20 January. Musk’s intervention via a volley of tweets on his social media platform X was mocked by Democrats as the work of “President Musk”.

“The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious,” said Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, to reporters. “It’s laughable. Extreme Maga Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown.”

Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, left the Capitol late Thursday with only two words on a path forward for funding the government: “We’ll see,” he replied when asked whether House Republicans would try for another budget bill package in the morning.

Friday is lawmakers’ final day to approve a new federal budget before a government shutdown would begin.

Kamala Harris cancelled a planned trip to Los Angeles, with Washington on the verge of a government shutdown.

Harris had been scheduled to travel to her home state late on Thursday, but instead will remain in the capital, the White House said, after Republicans backed away from a bipartisan compromise to fund the government.

Coming and going outside Johnson’s office Thursday night, House Republicans offered little clarity on a path forward for a budget deal after a Trump-endorsed proposal failed to pass.

Kat Cammack, a Republican congresswoman who voted against the bill, told reporters that “this was not an easy vote for constitutional conservatives”. She added, “we’re going to work through the night and figure out a plan.”

“We are still working diligently. and we are still making progress,” said Lisa McClain, another congresswoman, without offering further details.

“We tried several things today most of our members went for, but the Democrats decided that they want to try and shut it down, but we’re going to keep working,” said Steve Scalise, the Republican majority leader, to reporters.

Meanwhile JD Vance told reporters on Capitol Hill that Democrats voted against the legislation Thursday to avoid a government shutdown “because they didn’t want to give the president negotiating leverage during the first year of his new term”.

The bill would have suspended the nation’s debt ceiling for two years, helping Trump avoid a major negotiation with Democrats early next year.

The incoming vice-president did not mention the 38 Republicans who voted against the bill, denying Johnson a victory as he has tried to appease Trump’s last-minute demands on the debt limit. Trump endorsed the bill shortly before the vote.

“They’ve asked for a shutdown,” Vance said of Democrats. “That’s exactly what they’re going to get.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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