Will the U.S. government shut down tomorrow? The short-term spending bill supported by Trump was rejected, with dozens of Republicans voting against it

The short-term spending bill supported by Trump was rejected, and the U.S. government is once again facing a shutdown!

According to the latest reports from the media on Friday, the short-term spending bill (i.e., Continuing Resolution (CR)) proposed by House Republicans failed, with dozens of Republicans voting against the agreement supported by Trump. The bill would have provided funding for the government for three months and suspended the debt ceiling for two years.

It is worth mentioning that there was strong opposition to the bill within the Republican Party, with 38 Republicans voting against it. Among the Democrats, only two voted in favor and one abstained, while the rest voted against it.

Overall, the bill received 174 votes in favor and 235 votes against, with one member voting in favor, failing to meet the two-thirds majority required for expedited procedures. Crucially, the bill also did not achieve a majority in the Republican-controlled House, making the chances of it being voted on again slim.

The voting scene was also quite contentious, with the presiding member, New York Republican Congressman Marc Molinaro, smashing the gavel in an attempt to restore order, while senators walked into the chamber to watch the farce. The failure of the bill has once again put the path forward in jeopardy, as leaders from different Republican factions entered Speaker Johnson's office throughout the day, but hours later they were unable or unwilling to answer what the next steps should be.

Due to the failure to pass a bill providing funding for the federal government, the U.S. government will begin a partial shutdown on Friday evening. If the bill has not passed by 12:01 AM local time on Saturday, the U.S. government will partially close, and hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be forced to take leave...

The bill calls for a two-year suspension of the U.S. debt ceiling

The day before the vote, Trump rejected a bipartisan bill supported by Johnson and other congressional leaders, which faced widespread criticism from Republican lawmakers.

Trump and his allies, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, harshly criticized the terms of this funding proposal on Wednesday, leading to its failure, and Republicans spent most of Thursday looking for alternatives.

The revised new bill is 116 pages long, down from the original 1,547 pages. Like the initial proposal, the bill extends government funding until March 14.

The latest version of the bill also suspends the U.S. debt ceiling for two years, which is the maximum amount the federal government can borrow to pay its expenses. Trump has called for the permanent elimination of the debt ceiling this week.

Trump praised the new plan announced on Thursday afternoon as a "very good deal" for the American people and lauded the provision to suspend the national borrowing limit until January 2027.

However, this approach was immediately rejected by Democrats, and the debate in the chamber before the vote became heated, with Republicans stating that Democrats should be held responsible for the government shutdown, but their remarks were drowned out by boos.

Difficult passage of the bill

Even if the House passes the bill, it still needs to be approved by the Democrat-controlled Senate. Although Democrats hold a minority of seats in the House, Republicans only have a slim majority, making it difficult for significant legislation to pass without at least some bipartisan support. Trump and his billionaire ally Musk undermined the agreement reached earlier this week by Johnson and other congressional leaders, angry Democrats said on Thursday, expressing their unwillingness to cooperate.

Lawmakers are discussing extending the funding deadline by a week, which would push the government shutdown deadline to after Christmas. However, this also requires bipartisan support to pass in the Senate.

Trump has told Republicans that he wants a stopgap bill that includes disaster relief and aid for farmers. He also wants the bill to raise or eliminate the national debt ceiling, which must be adjusted regularly to allow the U.S. to continue repaying its debts to creditors and avoid default.

He has urged Republicans to abandon the so-called "fancy" provisions—a series of unrelated items in the original bill. He also threatened that any Republican opposing the debt ceiling adjustment would face primary challenges in the next election.