The U.S. House of Representatives voted late Thursday to reject a slimmed-down funding bill that would have averted a looming government shutdown.
House Republicans unveiled the 116-page bill — down from over 1,500 pages — Thursday afternoon and it quickly garnered the support of President-elect Donald Trump. However, 38 Republicans sided with nearly all Democrats in the House to reject the bill by a vote of 235- 174.
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Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed reporters after the vote, blaming Democrats for the failure.
"The only difference in this legislation was that we would push the debt ceiling to January of 2027," he said. "I want you all to remember, it was just last spring that these same Democrats berated Republicans and said that it was irresponsible to hold the debt limit — the debt ceiling — hostage. What changed?"
The continuing resolution would have averted a government shutdown Friday at midnight and added a debt limit extension until January 30, 2027. It also included millions of dollars for disaster relief to help communities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as money for farmers who have been impacted by droughts, wildfires and floods.
However, the bill did not include money for things like pay raises for members of Congress or the transfer of land for the NFL's Washington Commanders to build a new football stadium.
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Ahead of the vote, Democrats also voiced frustration with billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who railed against the original bipartisan bill.
"The Musk, Johnson proposal is not serious," said Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. "It's laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown."
