The US government is staring down a shutdown

Last night, the House rejected a plan endorsed by President-elect Trump to fund the federal government and suspend the debt ceiling, in a vote that went down ~24 hours before Friday’s midnight deadline for a partial government shutdown.

How we got here: On Wednesday, a bipartisan bill to temporarily fund the government collapsed after President-elect Trump, Elon Musk, and several Republican House members came out against it.

At issue: Trump and Musk – who some lawmakers have floated as a potential House Speaker – said the funding bill contained too many unrelated provisions, like restrictions on investments in China, 9/11 healthcare funds, and new rules on pharmacy-benefit managers.

• Yesterday, House Republicans put forth a new Trump-approved bill more narrowly focused on government funding – which also included a proposal to raise the federal debt ceiling for two years (a non-starter for many Democrats).
• The new funding bill received 174 votes in favor and 235 against in the House last night, far short of the two-thirds majority needed for approval (290 votes).

👀 Looking ahead…House Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated he’ll keep working to pass a deal ahead of the government shutdown deadline. If a funding bill isn’t approved and signed into law by 12:01 am ET on Saturday, the federal government would partially shut down, furloughing hundreds of thousands of federal workers (though critical services would keep running).