Trump-backed spending bill voted down as US government shutdown looms
Al Jazeera
US House of Representatives rejects spending bill as US edges closer to partial government shutdown.
The United States House of Representatives has rejected a spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump, raising the likelihood of a partial government shutdown as millions of Americans prepare to travel during the holiday season.
The bill was voted down 174 to 235 on Thursday evening following opposition from nearly all Democrats and 38 hard-right Republicans, who took the unusual step of defying the president-elect’s proposal on the grounds that it would add trillions of dollars to the $36 trillion national debt.
The Republican-led bill was a last-ditch effort to avert a government shutdown after an earlier spending package was scuttled by 11th-hour opposition from Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and tech mogul Elon Musk.
The original spending bill, negotiated by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, had bipartisan support until Trump demanded that lawmakers lift the debt ceiling or scrap it entirely before he takes office on January 20.
With weeks to go until his inauguration, Trump is believed to be eager to avoid a fight over the debt limit that could bog down his agenda for sweeping tax cuts and border security measures, which would require trillions of dollars in borrowed funds.
