The federal government is getting increasingly close to a shutdown after Republicans did not manage to get enough votes to pass a slimmed-down initiative on Thursday despite it being supported by President-elect Donald Trump.
Key to its demise was the opposition of 38 Republicans. "Why would we give Joe Biden more money this late in his administration?" said Rep. Bob Good after voting against the bill. "The money intended for disaster victims should have been paid for, there should have been offsets."
In contrast, only two Democrats supported the initiative: Kathy Castor from Florida and Marie Gleusenkamp Perez from Washington. Kastor issued a statement on Thursday night criticizing Republicans and billionaire Elon Musk, who is playing a key role in the negotiations.
However, she said she "voted to support families and small businesses impacted by disaster who deserve swift and effective support to get back on their feet," a reference to the $110 billion in disaster relief included in the Continuing Resolution.
My statement on the continuing resolution. pic.twitter.com/OpAJG7kOKy
— U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (@USRepKCastor) December 20, 2024
The bill was soundly defeated, getting only 174 votes in favor and 235 against. Democrats and Republicans have been engaged in a blame game since, with the former focusing on the outsized role Musk is having.
Senator Bernie Sanders even referred to him as "President Elon Musk." "Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesn't like it. Will Republicans kiss the ring?" Sanders wrote in a scathing X post. "Billionaires must not be allowed to run our government," he concluded.
Other officials made similar comments: ""He's president and Trump is now vice president," said Rep. Jim McGovern. "If this is the type of power he has, then he is going to be the unelected co-president of this country and we've got to be super blunt about it," added Rep. Maxwell Frost.
Rep. Mark Pocan from Wisconsin also mocked Republicans for following Musk's lead, but also anticipated this trend will become an issue down the line. "This is going to turn out to be an epic problem at some point for Donald Trump — the two biggest egos on the planet colliding thinking they are in charge," the lawmaker told Axios.
"Donald Trump at some point is not going to accept that. So I'm just going to invest in popcorn for the next year."
Trump, on his end, said if the government will shut down, it should happen under Joe Biden. "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!" Trump wrote in his social media account, Truth Social.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose position is increasingly unstable amid the fiasco, said House votes are expected this morning. "We've got a plan," he told reporters.
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