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By Sonam Sheth
Evening Politics Editor
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What's New
President-elect Donald Trump threw his support behind a revised government funding plan from House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday. But it wasn't enough to push the stopgap bill over the finish line.
The proposal failed to pass on Thursday evening when it didn't secure enough support from House Republicans.
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Why It Matters
The U.S. government is now barreling toward a government shutdown just days before Christmas, and lawmakers have less than 30 hours to pass a temporary measure to keep the government open.
The House considered Thursday's bill under a fast-track method in which it required two-thirds' support to pass.
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It failed to pass—as was widely expected—by a vote of 174-235. Thirty-eight Republicans bucked Trump and Johnson and voted against the bill.
The new measure was already on shaky ground before Thursday's vote, when a number of Republican lawmakers told reporters they would not support it.
Democrats and Republicans initially reached a bipartisan agreement to keep the government open, which was on its way to passing the House.
But Trump and billionaire Elon Musk intervened late Wednesday and demanded Republicans not back the deal, forcing Johnson to go back to the drawing board. Democrats said before Thursday's vote that they would not support Johnson's revised proposal.
Mike Johnson's Speakership May Be in Doubt Amid Republican Backlash
The kerfuffle over avoiding a government shutdown fueled Republican calls to oust Johnson from the speakership.
Just a few hours before he announced his support for Johnson's revised proposal, Trump declined to publicly back the House speaker.
"We'll see," Trump told NBC News earlier in the day when asked if he had confidence in the Louisiana Republican.
"Everything has consequences," Representative Ralph Norman, member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told The New York Times. "No one puts forward this bill the way it was done."
What People Are Saying
Republican Representative Mike Lawler, who voted for the bill, told CNN: "The fact is that we have a number of Republicans that have never voted for a continuing resolution, have never voted to lift the debt ceiling. This bill requires two-thirds of the House, not an absolute majority. It requires two-thirds. So the fact that you have Democrats, who normally would vote for this, refusing to do so ... because they're upset that the debt ceiling increase has been taken off the table as leverage for them in future negotiations."
Republican Representative Chip Roy, who voted against the bill: "It's embarrassing" and "it's shameful."
Republican Representative Ralph Norman, when asked what happens next, told The Hill: "There is no plan ... Trump wants the thing to shut down."
Republican Senator Steve Daines, who migrated to the House floor along with a number of other senators to watch the vote unfold, told reporters: "It's more exciting over here."
What Comes Next
Congress now has just a little over 24 hours to pass a stopgap measure before the government shuts down. Johnson was seen whipping Republican votes on the House floor shortly after Thursday's proposal failed.
It's unclear if Johnson will come back with a new proposal ahead of Friday's deadline.
Trump had not commented on the bill's failure as of 7:45 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Update 12/19/24 7:50 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
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