President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday upended efforts to avert a partial government shutdown this weekend, blasting a bipartisan deal negotiated by House Speaker Mike Johnson and calling for a complicated new negotiation.
In a joint statement with Vice President-elect JD Vance, Trump criticized the spending bill and called for the debt limit, which is currently suspended but set to take effect again in January, to be raised right away.
The legislation — a mammoth, 1,547-page government funding package that was unveiled Tuesday evening ahead of a Friday night shutdown deadline — immediately sparked a Republican uproar, and the anger from GOP lawmakers and outside allies quickly threw into doubt the path forward for the legislation.
Amid that uncertainty, Trump’s public opposition is likely to derail Johnson’s deal, again highlighting the chaotic governance of House Republicans in the 118th Congress and the ongoing inability of conservatives to pass a government funding bill.
Trump’s demands: “The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed,” the statement said. “Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch. If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now. And we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want.”
Trump and Vance noted that the funding package’s congressional pay increase would come “while many Americans are struggling this Christmas.” They also said that the bipartisan deal would make it easier to hide the records of the House committee that investigated the January 6 attacks on the Capitol.
Trump and Vance called for a short-term funding bill that also increases the debt ceiling but does not include what they described as giveaways to Democrats. “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is Schumer and Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief.”
The negotiated bill, known as a continuing resolution, would fund the government through March 14, averting a shutdown of federal agencies. In addition, it includes about $100 billion in disaster aid, $10 billion in financial assistance for farmers, a one-year extension of the farm bill, reforms for pharmacy benefit managers and a measure extending telehealth for seniors. The bill would also have the federal government cover the cost of replacing the Francis Scott Key bridge in Maryland and would pave the way for the NFL’s Washington Commanders to return to Washington, D.C. Oh, and the package would provide the first pay raise for Congress in 15 years — a surprise to many lawmakers. (See more details about the package here.)