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The US House of Representatives has voted against a Donald Trump-backed funding measure, bringing a government shutdown this weekend a step closer. A revised spending plan failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed in the lower chamber of Congress, with 38 Republicans voting against the bill on Thursday night, defying the president-elect.
Trump had thwarted a previous cross-party funding deal that the Republican House leadership had struck with Democrats, after heavy criticism of the measure 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 before government funding lapses at midnight on Friday.
The Trump-approved replacement bill would have tied government funding to a two-year suspension of the federal debt limit, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills.
Republican rebels objected because they oppose increases in government spending, while Democrats voted against it because they said the extra borrowing would be used to give tax cuts to the wealthy.
Here are five things to know about the possible government shutdown:
1. How we got here: The now-looming government shutdown can be traced back to September, when another budget deadline loomed.
2. Trump, Musk tank bipartisan plan: Opposition for Johnson’s spending deal grew on Wednesday, with Musk, who had been tasked with identifying spending cuts, lobbying heavily against the existing deal with dozens of posts on X, calling it “criminal” and referencing false statements about the bill in his posts.
3. What happens next: Johnson will likely need Democratic support, especially as divisions inside his own party over the bill became clear this week.
4. The effects of a government shutdown: Federal agencies rely on annual funding to function. When Congress fails to pass the 12 spending bills that make up the spending budget, these agencies must discontinue non-essential functions.
5. The repercussions for Republicans: This was the first big test of Trump’s influence over current congressional Republicans, and in the vote on Thursday, a number of them balked, posing a challenge for Speaker Johnson as the House is set to vote in just 15 days on who will serve as the House Speaker for the next Congress.
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