President-elect Donald Trump said that a potential government shutdown should start under President Joe Biden’s administration after the House failed to pass a spending bill Thursday night.
The GOP-led House rejected a Trump-backed plan to fund the federal government and suspend the debt ceiling Thursday night, delivering a blow to the president-elect just a month before he takes office. Trump and his allies effectively torpedoed a separate bipartisan spending agreement earlier this week that had support from both Democrats and Republicans.
Now, Trump and his allies are trying to blame Democrats for a possible government shutdown despite the GOP majority in the House of Representatives. The bill failed 174-235, with 38 Republicans joining most of the Democrats to reject the measure. The bill required a two-thirds majority to pass.
Trump said in a Truth Social post early on Friday that he does not mind a government shutdown if it happens on Biden’s watch.
“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!” he wrote.
Trump came out in opposition to the initial bipartisan spending deal reached between Democrats and Republicans earlier this week after tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative lawmakers criticized the legislation for excessive spending. Trump also asked Congress to raise the debt ceiling—a move that many conservatives in the House are opposed to.
He said in a Truth Social post on Friday that Congress “must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling.”
“Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President,” he added.
Despite Trump declaring “SUCCESS in Washington” just hours before the Thursday vote, a number of Republicans joined with most Democrats to shoot down the bill. With just a narrow majority in Congress, the House GOP can’t risk losing any Republican votes without Democratic support.
The tumultuous turn of events, coming as lawmakers were preparing to head home for the holidays, sparks a familiar reminder of what it’s like in Trump-run Washington.
Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance tried to blame Democrats, though rank-and-file Republicans helped sink Trump’s plan.
“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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