With hours to go before a midnight , the House approved from House Speaker that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but dropped President-elect demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.
The vote came a day after Trump鈥檚 new plan to fund operations and suspend the , as Democrats and dozens of Republicans refused to accommodate his sudden demands.
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Schumer says Senate on course to pass short-term spending bill before funding lapses at midnight
鈥淚 have very good news for my colleagues and for the country,鈥� Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in announcing a time agreement for the vote.
And while the bill won鈥檛 get to President Joe Biden to be signed into law before funding lapses, don鈥檛 expect to see an impact on government operations.
There will not be agency furloughs, and most federal workers are already off the clock over the weekend anyhow.
According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a budget watchdog, 10 funding gaps of three days or fewer have occurred since 1981. Most took place over a weekend, when government operations were only minimally affected.
Senate moving toward a final vote on government funding
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Senate Republicans and Democrats have reached an agreement that will allow them to take a vote late Friday on the government funding package.
Schumer said on the Senate floor that the time agreement would allow passage 鈥渂efore the midnight deadline.鈥�
There will be a series of votes ahead of final passage, but support for the legislation is clear in the Senate.
Pediatric cancer research saved amid funding turmoil
In a late-night maneuver, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill that authorizes research on pediatric cancer after a similar proposal was cut when House Republicans abandoned the first funding deal this week.
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, pushed a bill to final passage through unanimous consent 鈥� a rarely successful procedure that allowed quick approval because no senator objected. It extends for five years a program at the National Institutes of Health to research pediatric cancer and other diseases.
The government funding legislation that passed the House earlier Friday was a slimmed-down package from a deal that congressional leaders initially reached. Some Republicans, along with Elon Musk, celebrated that as a victory, but Democrats singled out the pediatric cancer research funding as an example of the things they were cutting.
The cancer research bill that gained final approval authorizes the program for a shorter period than congressional proponents had hoped, however, and other health research from the first funding proposal was still abandoned.
Ahead of expected late-night vote on government funding, Senate moves toward another vote 鈥� on Social Security
The Senate is moving to a final vote on a proposal to boost Social Security payments for millions of people, potentially pushing a longtime priority for former public employees through Congress in one of its last acts for the year.
The bipartisan bill would eliminate longtime reductions to Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million people who receive pensions because they worked in federal, state and local government, or public service jobs like teachers, firefighters and police officers. Advocates say the Social Security Fairness Act rights a decades-old disparity, though it would also further strain Social Security Trust Funds.
The legislation has been decades in the making, but the push to pass it came together in the final weeks that lawmakers were in Washington before Congress resets next year. All Senate Democrats except one, as well as 23 Republicans, supported the effort to bring it to a final vote.
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A look at what else the Senate is voting on Friday
President Joe Biden secured the 235th judicial confirmation of his presidency, an accomplishment that exceeds his predecessor鈥檚 total by one after Democrats put extra emphasis on the federal courts following Donald Trump鈥檚 far-reaching first term, when he filled three seats on the Supreme Court.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., teed up votes on two California district judges, and they were likely to be the last judicial confirmations this year before Congress adjourns and makes way for a new, Republican-led Senate.
The confirmation of Serena Raquel Murillo to be a district judge for the Central District of California broke Trump鈥檚 mark. Come next year, Republicans will look to boost Trump鈥檚 already on the makeup of the federal judiciary in his second term.
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Government funding difficulties create gloom for federal workers before Christmas
Johnny Zuagar says he鈥檚 tried to hide his worries about a from his three boys as he weighs how much to spend on Christmas presents.
鈥淚鈥檝e got to keep a poker face,鈥� Zuagar, a statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau, said when thinking about his boys, ages 14, 12 and 6. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e just trying to take that worry off of your family.鈥�
Like thousands of federal workers, Zuagar is navigating the holidays with the spirit of the season overtaken by an air of gloom and uncertainty.
The turbulent efforts in Congress to on funding the federal government have cast a cloud over the holidays for many federal workers facing possible furloughs in the days before Christmas. The House on Friday passed a three-month government spending bill just hours before a , but its fate in the Senate was uncertain as the deadline loomed.
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Johnson talks with Trump and jokes with Musk about being speaker
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke with both President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk around the time of the vote on the government funding package.
Trump understood 鈥渆xactly what we were doing, and why,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 think he was certainly happy about the outcome, as well.鈥�
As for Musk, who has been suggested by some as a replacement as speaker, Johnson said they talked about 鈥渢he extraordinary challenges of the job.鈥�
鈥淚 said, hey, you want to be House speaker? I don鈥檛 know,鈥� Johnson said.
Musk told him, 鈥淭his may be the hardest job in the world,鈥� Johnson said.
Leader Jeffries says Democrats stopped 鈥榚xtreme MAGA Republicans鈥�
Hakeem Jeffries, whose support would make or break Republican Speaker Mike Johnson鈥檚 plan, called the House鈥檚 passage of the government funding bill 鈥渁 victory for the American people.鈥�
House Democrats helped squash Trump鈥檚 insistence on a debt ceiling increase by voting against the earlier bill. But on Friday they put up more votes than Republicans to push the final package to passage.
鈥淭he House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting the working class Americans all across the nation,鈥� Jeffries said.
Legislation on funding government goes to Senate
Legislation to avoid a government shutdown passed by the House is now heading across the Capitol, where senators are hoping to act before the midnight deadline.
With only hours to go, a process that normally takes days will have a much faster timeline. First, House staff will physically walk the bill over to the Senate. Then Senate leadership 鈥� still Democrats until Jan. 3 鈥� will have to negotiate with Republicans to speed up the normally lengthy process to get the bill passed in time.
While it may take a few hours to figure out, senators are less likely to object to a quick vote as most of them are eyeing plane flights out of Washington for the holidays.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he hopes the bill will pass 鈥渁s soon as possible.鈥�
鈥淭he House has overwhelmingly passed a bill to keep the government open and I鈥檓 confident the Senate will pass it as well,鈥� he said.
If the Senate passes the bill, it will then go to the White House for President Joe Biden鈥檚 signature.
House passes three-month government funding bill, sending to Senate with just hours left before deadline
Hours to go before a midnight , the House approved a new plan late Friday from Speaker that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but drops President-elect demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.
Johnson insisted Congress would 鈥渕eet our obligations鈥� and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day鈥檚 outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a increase be included in any deal 鈥� if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures 鈥渟tart now.鈥�
The bill was approved 366-34 and now goes to the Senate for expected quick passage.
Musk helped kill a congressional spending bill. But much of what he spread was misinformation
President-elect billionaire ally played a key role this week in that would have prevented a , railing against the plan in more than 100 X posts that included multiple false claims.
Not only did the owner of the social platform X, an unelected figure, use his outsize influence on the platform to help sway Congress, he did so without regard for the facts and gave a preview of the role he could play over the next four years.
鈥淭rump has got himself a handful with Musk,鈥� said John Mark Hansen, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. 鈥淭rump鈥檚 done this kind of thing before, blowing up a bill at the last minute. This time, though, it looks like he was afraid of Musk upstaging him. Now there鈥檚 a new social media bully in town, pushing the champion social media bully around.鈥�
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Friday evening House vote set
House Speaker Mike Johnson has set a vote for Friday evening on a new plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but punted President-elect demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.
The outcome is uncertain. Johnson declined to disclose the new idea under consideration, but lawmakers said it would fund the government at current levels through March and adds $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.
The vote comes ahead of a potential government shutdown at midnight.
Republican senators express optimism their counterparts in the House will pass a bill to fund government
鈥淒epending on if the House can execute, I think we could probably tee everything out for later today,鈥� said Sen. John Thune, who鈥檒l take over as Senate majority leader in January.
鈥淚 think at this point, my view is we should accept whatever the House can pass,鈥� said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.
鈥淎nd given the time of year and proximity to Christmas, I don鈥檛 think people want to hang around here any longer than they have to. And we鈥檙e going to do this all over again in three months,鈥� Cornyn continued.
鈥淩ight now it looks like we鈥檒l probably get out by tomorrow,鈥� said Sen. Thom Thillis of North Carolina. But he added that senators were mostly waiting for the House to order itself.
鈥淭he work鈥檚 in the House. We鈥檙e ready to go, we just need something to react to,鈥� Tillis said.
Sen. Mitch McConnell says the US 鈥榝aces one great challenge from forces betting on our decline鈥�
In his last floor speech Friday as the Senate鈥檚 Republican leader, McConnell said he鈥檒l use his remaining time in the Senate to restore 鈥淎merican leadership and American strength,鈥� pushing back on a growing number in his party, including President-elect Donald Trump, who have embraced U.S. isolationism.
He also warned that Republicans could 鈥減ay a political price鈥� if they don鈥檛 pass legislation keeping the government open by midnight Friday. The Kentucky Republican said he鈥檚 has reminded his colleagues 鈥渉ow harmful it is to shut the government down and how foolish it is to bet your own side won鈥檛 take the blame for it.鈥�
鈥淎s a bargaining chip, you pay a political price,鈥� McConnell said.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the current No. 2 Senate Republican, will take over for McConnell in January when he steps down and as Republicans take the majority. McConnell will stay in the Senate at least until his term expires in two years.
Will funding turmoil cost House Speaker Mike Johnson his job?
There鈥檚 been plenty of criticism leveled at House Speaker Mike Johnson this week as Congress struggles to avert a government shutdown, and at least one Republican lawmaker says he won鈥檛 vote for Johnson to remain as speaker next year.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a longtime critic of Johnson, told reporters his determination to oppose Johnson has only been cemented by the speaker鈥檚 latest decision to depend on Democrats to pass a government funding bill. Republicans will have a thin majority next year, meaning Johnson can only lose a few votes in the speaker election on Jan. 3.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to vote for him for speaker,鈥� said Massie. 鈥淭his whole exercise demonstrates that he has a hard time making decisions, he comes up with ideas that don鈥檛 work and then we just kind of wander around trying to find a path forward until he figures out what鈥� House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will accept.
It鈥檚 also not clear whether 鈥� and how strongly 鈥� President-elect Donald Trump will back Johnson. The incoming president has so far been supportive of the speaker, but said this week he needed to show he could drive a tough deal. Johnson ultimately failed to include Trump鈥檚 demand to lift the nation鈥檚 debt ceiling in the legislation.
Johnson says House Republicans have agreed on a new spending deal
House Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans had reached a consensus on a deal to fund the government but provided no details on its contours.
鈥淲e have a unified Republican Conference. There is a unanimous agreement in the room that we need to move forward,鈥� Johnson told reporters as he exited a House GOP conference meeting.
鈥淚 will not telegraph to you the specific details of that yet, because I鈥檝e got a couple of things I got to wrap up in a few moments upstairs, but I expect that we will be proceeding forward,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e will not have a government shutdown,鈥� Johnson declared.
The speaker added that lawmakers 鈥渨ill meet our obligations for our farmers who aid for the disaster victims all over the country, and for making sure that military and essential services and everyone who relies upon the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays. I鈥檒l give you the more details here in just a few moments.鈥�
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise gives an update
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters Republicans are still debating the contours of a new budget deal but 鈥渦ltimately we will bring something to the floor, either through a suspension or a rule, and we鈥檙e making that decision.鈥�
Scalise noted that they were examining the role of the debt ceiling in a potential deal but didn鈥檛 elaborate further.
When asked whether Trump was briefed on the plan, Scalise replied: 鈥淭he president鈥檚 very interested in how his administration will start in January. So we want to be on a footing for success, so that we can move that agenda through. We have a very bold agenda that starts in January.鈥�
At the Republican Conference meeting
House Republicans are huddled in the Capitol basement as leadership tries to find a path forward that would prevent an extended government shutdown.
So far, Republicans who were in the meeting have said they鈥檙e only discussing options on how to advance a stopgap government funding bill, as well as disaster aid and financial help for farmers.
鈥淭hey haven鈥檛 made any decisions about what they鈥檙e going to bring forward yet,鈥� said Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Montana Republican.
Rep. Chip Roy, a Freedom Caucus member who voted down the recent Trump-backed budget bill, left the meeting in a rush as lawmakers haggled.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to say a word, I鈥檝e got somewhere to be,鈥� Roy told reporters as he exited the room.
White House press secretary says 鈥楾his is not for the president to fix鈥�
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pushed back after getting numerous questions at her daily briefing Friday about why President Biden hasn鈥檛 spoken publicly about the possibility of a government shutdown.
鈥淭his is not for the president to fix,鈥� she said. 鈥淩epublicans need to fix the mess that they caused.鈥�
At the White House
President Joe Biden has discussed the potential shutdown with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still time,鈥� Jean-Pierre said, to avoid a partial government shutdown.
She said Republicans created the situation and are responsible for fixing it.
鈥淩epublicans blew up this deal. They did, and they need to fix this,鈥� Jean-Pierre said.
House Republicans are quickly cobbling together a new plan
That could involve splitting up the previous efforts 鈥� government funding, disaster and agricultural aid into separate votes 鈥� with a debt ceiling vote potentially later.
They鈥檙e meeting privately during the lunch hour to discuss next steps, with a shutdown less than 12 hours away.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is communicating with House Speaker Mike Johnson
That鈥檚 according to multiple people who received an update in a closed door Democratic Caucus meeting.
But there was no discussion in the meeting on whether a deal is being discussed or the details of legislation.
Sen. Schumer says Johnson should go back to the deal he made with Democrats
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson to return to a stopgap funding agreement he had negotiated with Democrats.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, called that agreement in a floor speech Friday morning 鈥渢he quickest, simplest, and easiest way we can make sure the government stays open while delivering critical emergency aid to the American people.鈥�
Johnson abandoned that legislation earlier this week after first Elon Musk, then President-elect Donald Trump opposed it. But the Republican speaker is facing few options to avert a government shutdown at the end of the day while also appeasing the demands of his fellow Republicans.
Democratic leaders so far have demanded that he stick to their deal in order to gain their support to pass it through Congress.
Trump doubles down on a debt ceiling increase
Friday morning, Trump continued his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal 鈥� and if not, let the closures 鈥渂egin now.鈥�
He issued his latest demand as Speaker arrived early at the Capitol, instantly holing up with Vice President-elect JD Vance and some of the most conservative Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus who helped .
鈥淚f there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now,鈥� Trump posted on social media.
Trump does not fear government shutdowns the way Johnson and the lawmakers see federal closures as political losers that harm the livelihoods of Americans. The incoming Trump administration vows to . Trump himself sparked the in his first term at the White House.
Top House Democrat lays blame for looming shutdown on 鈥榖illionaire donors鈥�
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries laid blame for the failure of a package to fund the federal government on Republican donors and the GOP鈥檚 economic agenda.
鈥淩epublicans would rather cut taxes for billionaire donors than fund research for children with cancer,鈥� Jeffries, D-N.Y., wrote on the social media platform Bluesky.
The House Democrat鈥檚 leader further predicted a government shutdown 鈥渨ill crash the economy, hurt working class Americans and likely be the longest in history.鈥�
鈥淲elcome back to the MAGA swamp,鈥� he concluded.
Far-right members make an early morning visit to Johnson鈥檚 office
Before 9 a.m., a number of the speaker鈥檚 biggest critics brought their grievances to a private meeting as a shutdown deadline looms over Capitol Hill. Reps. Chip Roy, Andy Biggs, Bob Good and others, all who voted against the Trump-backed plan Thursday, met with Johnson as Republicans look for a way forward on a short-term spending deal that includes a suspension of the nation鈥檚 debt limit.
Good of Virginia came out and said he would surprised if there was a vote Friday on any path forward. Moments later, Rep. Lauren Boebert said Republicans were making progress and having Vice President-elect JD Vance in the room is helping move things toward a resolution that can get a majority on the floor.
鈥淚 think President Trump was possibly, sold a bad bill yesterday,鈥� the Colorado lawmaker said. 鈥淚 did not want to see a failure on the House floor for the first demand that President Trump is making.鈥�
But, she added, the failure on the floor has forced many of her colleagues to come together Friday.
Trump ally Steven Bannon says Speaker Johnson 鈥榠s not up to the task鈥�
As the speaker twisted Thursday in Washington, his peril was on display at Turning Point USA鈥檚 conservative AmericaFest confab, where Trump ally and 2016 campaign architect Steven Bannon stirred thousands with a takedown of the Louisiana Republican.
鈥淐learly, Johnson is not up to the task. He鈥檚 gotta go. He鈥檚 gotta go,鈥� Bannon said, drawing cheers and whistles.
Bannon, both a bellwether of and influencer on the mood among Trump鈥檚 core supporters, wasn鈥檛 done.
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 have what we call the right stuff 鈥� that combination of guts and moxie and savvy and toughness,鈥� he said, comparing Johnson, a reserved, polite lawyer, to the gleeful brutishness of the president-elect and his populist backers. 鈥淵ou can punch MAGA in the face and they鈥檙e going to get up off the canvas, and they鈥檙e going to punch you back three times harder.鈥�
Bannon didn鈥檛 float a replacement for Johnson but emphasized that the job description for any speaker 鈥� and every other Republican in Washington 鈥� is simple: 鈥淲e have nothing to discuss. It鈥檚 only about the execution of President Trump鈥檚 plan.鈥�
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats are sticking with the original deal
And he called Thursday鈥檚 proposed deal 鈥渓aughable.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a serious proposal,鈥� Jeffries said as he walked to Democrats鈥� own closed-door caucus meeting. Inside, Democrats were chanting, 鈥淗ell, no!鈥�
What House Republicans were saying Thursday night
Coming and going outside Speaker Mike Johnson鈥檚 office Thursday night, House Republicans offered little clarity on a path forward for a budget deal after a Trump-endorsed proposal failed to pass.
Rep. Kat Cammack, a Republican who voted against the bill, told reporters that 鈥渢his was not an easy vote for constitutional conservatives.鈥� She added, 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to work through the night and figure out a plan.鈥�
鈥淲e are still working diligently. and we are still making progress,鈥� Rep. Lisa McClain said, without offering further details.
鈥淲e tried several things today most of our members went for, but the Democrats decided that they want to try and shut it down, but we鈥檙e going to keep working,鈥� Rep. Steve Scalise, the Republican majority leader, told reporters. Nearly three dozen Republicans joined Democrats in voting down the resolution.
Harris cancels trip and will stay in Washington as shutdown looms
Vice President Kamala Harris cancelled a planned trip to Los Angeles with Washington on the verge of a government shutdown.
She had been scheduled to travel to her home state late Thursday, but instead will remain in the capital, the White House said, after Republicans backed away from a bipartisan compromise to fund the government.
Bill fails in House, next steps remain uncertain
The House rejected President-elect new plan Thursday to fund operations and suspend the .
In a hastily convened evening vote punctuated by angry outbursts over the self-made crisis, the lawmakers failed to reach the two-thirds threshold needed for passage 鈥� but House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared determined to reassess, before Friday鈥檚 midnight deadline.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to regroup and we will come up with another solution, so stay tuned,鈥� Johnson said after the vote. The cobbled-together plan didn鈥檛 even get a majority, with the bill failing 174-235.
The outcome proved a massive setback for Trump and his billionaire ally, , who rampaged against Johnson鈥檚 bipartisan compromise, which Republicans and Democrats had reached earlier to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown.
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The Associated Press
