US Congress Fails to Pass Republican Budget Proposal, Shutdown Looms
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected a Republican-backed budget proposal on Thursday, increasing the likelihood of a federal government shutdown as the Friday midnight deadline looms. Despite their majority in the House, Republican lawmakers failed to rally enough support, with 38 of their own members joining Democrats in voting against the measure.
The proposal was introduced after a previous bipartisan agreement to prevent a government shutdown was derailed by criticism from President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Trump labeled the earlier deal as “ridiculous and extraordinarily costly,” swaying conservative opposition.
Although President-elect Trump endorsed the new Republican proposal, calling it “a very good deal for the American people,” it failed to secure even a simple majority, far short of the two-thirds vote required for passage.
The rejection leaves House Speaker Mike Johnson in a precarious position, torn between Democrats urging a return to the original bipartisan deal and conservative members demanding significant budget cuts to offset new spending.
If no agreement is reached by the deadline, a government shutdown will trigger widespread consequences, including furloughs for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, suspension of social aid programs, and closures of some public facilities like daycare centers.
The risk of a shutdown grew significantly after Trump’s Wednesday condemnation of the bipartisan deal, raising tensions in an already divided Congress. With time running out, uncertainty looms over the path forward to prevent widespread disruption just before the holiday season.
