A partial government shutdown looms as a deadline approaches. A stopgap spending bill must become law by Friday at midnight, or federal employees and troops will face halted paychecks just before the holidays.
Early Thursday, House Democrats released a state-by-state breakdown illustrating the potential loss of roughly $100 billion in federal disaster aid if Republicans remove it from the spending bill. This action follows President-elect Donald Trump and allies like Elon Musk urging GOP leaders to reject the bipartisan year-end package. States like California, Florida, and Texas face potential losses exceeding $10 billion, while many others would lose over $2 billion each.
The stalemate began after congressional leaders released the 1,547-page bill on Tuesday. Speaker Mike Johnson defended the bill’s provisions, including disaster aid and farm assistance, despite the inclusion of unrelated items such as a provision for year-round sale of 15% ethanol blended gasoline and the removal of a clause blocking congressional cost-of-living salary increases. Misinformation surrounding the potential lawmaker pay raise, amplified by Musk, fueled public outrage. The Congressional Research Service reports a maximum 3.8% increase, raising annual pay from $174,000 to $180,600 – the first COLA increase since 2009.
The original package would have provided time until March 14th to negotiate annual government funding bills and until September 30th for the five-year farm bill. Republicans aimed to postpone these bills until they hold unified government control next year. Adding to the complexities, Trump pushed for including the debt limit in negotiations, a move Democrats refuse to consider. He expressed a desire to avoid dealing with the debt limit during his second term, even suggesting its complete elimination – a significant departure from typical Republican strategy.
Democratic leaders maintain their stance against renegotiation, effectively blocking any solely Republican bill before the deadline. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized House Republicans’ infighting, emphasizing the need for bipartisanship. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans to adhere to the negotiated agreement and dismissed the idea of giving Speaker Johnson additional votes to secure his position, given the possibility of GOP members withholding support due to the spending bill’s contents.
The narrow Republican House majority means Speaker Johnson can afford few dissenting votes without triggering a potentially lengthy speaker race, echoing the prolonged process of the previous year. The prospect of replacing Johnson with an alternative, possibly Elon Musk, has been raised by figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Last updated 12:32 p.m., Dec. 19, 2024
by Jennifer Shutt, Minnesota Reformer
(Note: The appended information about the Minnesota Reformer and its publishing guidelines has been omitted from this rewritten version as it’s not part of the news article itself.)