House Republican negotiators have reportedly reached a tentative agreement aimed at preventing a partial government shutdown, which was set to take effect at midnight Friday. According to sources close to the discussions, the deal would involve a short-term extension of current federal funding levels, disaster aid funding, and agricultural support for farmers, all packaged into three separate bills. These measures are expected to keep the government running temporarily, but Republicans are aiming for deeper, more permanent changes down the line.
In addition to the funding measures, the deal would include an agreement to address the debt ceiling next year. This part of the plan aligns with the broader conservative agenda, which seeks to overhaul federal spending through a process called reconciliation—a maneuver that allows Republicans to push through legislation with a simple majority vote in the Senate. The strategy reflects the growing divide within the GOP over how best to approach the nation’s ballooning $36 trillion debt.
This new direction comes after President-elect Trump and his allies played a key role in derailing an earlier plan to avoid a shutdown. Trump had publicly urged Republicans to tie the debt ceiling issue to the government funding bill, a proposal that was met with resistance by many Republicans who were already uneasy about the national debt. Their concerns were exacerbated by the $1.7 trillion spending bill passed in late 2022, which set the stage for ongoing budget fights.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had initially put forward a plan that followed Trump’s guidance on addressing the debt limit. However, the proposal faltered when 38 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to kill the bill, signaling a significant rift within the GOP. The vote came as the pressure from Trump, along with conservative figures like Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, intensified. Musk and Ramaswamy—two influential figures within the conservative movement—have actively opposed the bipartisan agreements that they view as ineffective in curbing government spending. Musk, in particular, has voiced concerns about the growing debt and waste within federal programs, fueling conservative outrage.
With a partial shutdown looming, Speaker Johnson is now expected to present a new funding proposal. The new strategy may be a necessary compromise to avert a shutdown while addressing the growing concerns of conservative Republicans. However, it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to bridge the divide within the GOP and avert the holiday shutdown.
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