House Republicans agreed Thursday on a revamped stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown by the end of the week after the previous continuing resolution (CR) packed with a bunch of add-ons quickly collapsed in the face of opposition from many congressional Republicans, President-elect Donald Trump, and Elon Musk.
Top-line takeaways from the new deal include a three-month CR, two-year suspension of the debt ceiling until January 2027, a “clean” farm bill package, $110 billion disaster package, clean health extenders without pharmacy benefit manager reform, PAYGO Scorecard wiped to zero, and no E15 provisions in a blow to the ethanol industry, according to multiple reports. It also retains a provision to help finance the rebuilding of Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was devastated by a ship collision earlier this year.
1,547 pages ➡️ 116 pages overnight.
Trump’s @DOGE team in action. pic.twitter.com/sAxa5y74Qb
— Congressman Dan Meuser (@RepMeuser) December 19, 2024
On Truth Social, Trump celebrated the legislation — which was shaved down from 1,547 pages in its original form to 116 pages in the latest version — and encouraged lawmakers to vote in favor of it.
“Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People. The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes,” Trump said. “A VERY important piece, VITAL to the America First Agenda, was added as well – The date of the very unnecessary Debt Ceiling will be pushed out two years, to January 30, 2027. Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish. All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote ‘YES’ for this Bill, TONIGHT!”
While a timeline was not immediately announced, The Washington Examiner’s Cami Mondeaux reported on X that one lawmaker said members have been told a vote on the plan could happen at 6 or 7 p.m. ET.
But House Republican leadership “does not currently have same-day authority, which allows them to vote on a rule the same day it comes out of the Rules Committee, Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman posted to X, adding, “They will need a rule for this bill — dont think there’s a prayer it passes on suspension,” which would require a two-thirds majority to succeed. He further explained that many Democrats would be needed to pass it in such a way.
“When it fails — and it will, most likely — the GOP leadership will go to Rules and get a rule and then vote on it again. The second time will be under a simple majority as long as they can get a rule out of the Rules Committee,” Sherman said. “The first vote allows them to see who is against it and whip it.”
If the deal passes the GOP-led House, it would then head over to the Democrat-controlled Senate for consideration. The deadline to stave off a shutdown is midnight on Friday. Whatever may get through Congress would then be sent to President Joe Biden to sign.
The original CR introduced by congressional leaders on Tuesday evening was filled with all kinds of add-ons. They included a pay raise for lawmakers, the reauthorization of a State Department agency critics say is at the center of a government “censorship scheme,” and a section allowing the transfer jurisdiction of the RFK stadium site from the federal government to Washington, D.C. — all of which appear to have been cut from the new deal.
Musk, who has been tasked with helping to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and Trump condemned the initial CR offering. Emboldened by their opposition, many Republicans said they would not vote for what they slammed as the “cramnibus,” signaling that it would not be able to pass without the support of Democrats in the House. Amid the firestorm, House Republicans began work on a Plan B while Democrat leaders indicated they preferred the original plan.
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In a joint statement on Wednesday evening with Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), the vice president-elect, Trump said Congress should pass a temporary funding bill only if it includes a debt ceiling increase and no “DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS.” On Wednesday night, after leaving House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) office, Vance told reporters they had a “productive conversation” and noted that Trump supports “a clean CR so long as it contains a debt limit increase.”
Congress last passed legislation to address the debt ceiling in the late spring of 2023. That measure, negotiated under then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), suspended the debt limit until January 2025, staving off a U.S. debt default, and sought to implement various restraints on spending that would be able to reduce budget deficits by an estimated $1.5 trillion over the next decade.
