A Trump-backed bill to keep the US government running failed to pass

The US House of Representatives has voted against a financial measure supported by Donald Trump, bringing the government shutdown closer this weekend.

The revised spending plan failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed in the lower house of Congress, with 38 Republicans voting against the bill Thursday night, defying the president-elect.

Trump had scuttled a previous multi-party funding deal that the Republican House leadership and Democrats were attacking, after being heavily criticized by tech billionaire Elon Musk.

After the bill failed by 174 votes to 235, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would come up with another solution Friday before the midnight deadline.

The Trump-approved recovery bill would have tied federal funding to a two-year freeze on the federal debt ceiling, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its debts.

Here are five things you should know about the possible government shutdown:

The looming government shutdown can be traced back to September, when another budget deadline loomed.

Johnson failed to extend the funding for six months. Most Democrats voted against the expansion, which included a measure (the SAVE Act) to require proof of citizenship to vote.

Instead, Congress reached a bipartisan deal on an empty bill that will keep the government funded until December 20.

Johnson vowed at his Republican convention in December, when the funding is set to expire, that they would not have to vote on spending outside the kitchen before the holiday break.

But when congressional leaders released the text of the latest spending bill on Tuesday, three days before lawmakers adjourned for the holidays, they totaled 1,547 pages.

The bill would have extended federal funding until March 14 — nearly three months after Trump would return to the White House.

It has mobilized more than $110bn (£88bn) in emergency disaster relief and $30bn to help farmers; the first salary increase for lawmakers since 2009; federal funds to rebuild a bridge that collapsed in Baltimore; health care reforms; and, provisions intended to prevent hotels and live event venues from engaging in deceptive advertising.

Some Republicans have criticized Johnson for abandoning the core spending bill, particularly criticizing the left-leaning provisions negotiated to gain support from Democrats.

Johnson defended the deal, blaming “acts of God” for requiring additional provisions, such as disaster relief and farm aid.

Still, opposition to Johnson’s spending deal grew Wednesday.

Musk, whom Trump has tasked with identifying cost-cutting measures in coordination with the Department of Labor (which not an official government department), he lobbied hard against the existing agreement with many posts on X.

He called it a “crime” and often referred to false statements about the bill in his posts.

Musk wrote on X that any lawmaker who “votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years”.

After Musk vetoed the spending bill, Trump and JD Vance, the incoming vice president, faced off to keep Johnson’s deal that night.

They said in a joint statement that they want the legislation to be done well without the Democratic-backed provisions included by Johnson.

They also called on Congress to increase or eliminate the debt ceiling, which determines how much money the government can borrow to pay its debts, and to ease the fiscal rule on short-term spending and disaster relief.

They call anything else “betraying our country”.

Johnson and House Republicans introduced the amended legislation on Thursday, which failed in a vote that night. It is unclear what they will do next.

Lawmakers are not expected to vote again on Thursday, meaning they will return on Friday morning with less than 24 hours until the shutdown.

But it is clear that the team’s blame game is in full swing. After the bill was shot down Thursday, Johnson told reporters it was “very disappointing” that nearly every House Democrat voted against it.

“I think it doesn’t really matter for us to risk closing these issues with what they have already agreed on,” he said.

Johnson will likely need the support of the Democratic Alliance, especially as divisions within his party over the bill have become clear this week.

But Democrats are unlikely to help Johnson with support for a revised funding bill, accusing him of breaking their bipartisan agreement.

“You’re breaking a bipartisan deal, you own the consequences,” Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on X, which is hosted by Musk.

And some appeared to scoff at Republicans for appearing to take direction from the unelected Mr Musk.

On the floor of the House on Thursday, Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro – the top Democrat in the House – called the billionaire “President Musk”, to the laughter of other Democrats.

“President Musk said ‘don’t do it, shut down the government,'” she said.

Still, Johnson needs to find a way to win over Democrats to pass the spending bill, especially if the simmering anger within his caucus is about to boil over.

Time is also of the essence. These negotiations usually take weeks.

Federal agencies rely on annual funding to operate. When Congress fails to pass the 12 spending bills that make up the spending budget, these agencies must stop non-essential operations.

Essential services – such as border security, hospital medical care, law enforcement and air traffic control – continue to operate.

But many civil servants may not be paid.

While Social Security and Medicare checks are outsourced, benefit verification and card issuance stops. Funding for the Nutrition Assistance Program is mandatory, but food stamp benefits could be affected by the shutdown. This can lead to delays in similar aid programs.

Some agencies are ceasing operations altogether.

The Food and Drug Administration stops food safety inspections, the Environmental Protection Agency stops inspections and National Parks close to visitors.

This was the first major test of Trump’s influence among incumbent Republicans, and in Thursday’s vote, a majority of them declined.

There is also a challenge for Speaker Johnson, as the House will vote in only 15 days on who will be the Speaker of the House in the next Congress.

What looked like a secure position for Johnson now looks like a sure thing.

Facing backlash from Trump and Mr. Musk, the Louisiana Republican is now being scrutinized by those in his own party for his handling of federal funding.

Several Republicans have indicated that they will not vote for Johnson to lead the chamber. He cannot lose the support of many Republicans, as the party holds a slim majority of only five seats in the next Congress.

Johnson’s threat is serious, given recent Republican history.

In January 2023, California Republican Kevin McCarthy went 15 votes short of winning the speakership.

Just 10 months later, he was fired by Republicans, who blamed him for failing to cut spending and working with Democrats to prevent a government shutdown.