President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance demanded Wednesday that Congressional Republicans not succumb to “Democrat giveaways” by passing the current bulging spending bill on the table — likely pushing Congress closer to going back to the negotiating table to avoid a government shutdown.
“Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” Trump and Vance wrote in a joint statement.
The incoming executives slammed the provisions in the ballooned 1,500-page bill that would give Congress a raise, fund the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) — which is allegedly involved in censoring conservative speech and making “it easier to hide the records of the corrupt January 6 committee.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) negotiated a deal to include Democrat demands in a spending bill that would avoid a government shutdown and bypass a tight majority Congress.
But some Republicans — with a push from Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy — have revolted against the bill, demanding a hardline Republican approach with less spending.
Musk, one of Trump’s key confidants, went to X to directly demand Congress to “kill” the bill, arguing that any member of Congress who votes for the “outrageous” bill should be “voted out in 2 years.”
Trump’s direct push will likely influence Republicans to do away with the bill and go back to the drawing board. If Congress fails to pass a spending bill, the government will shut down on Saturday.
Johnson is already considering abandoning the current bill in favor of a more streamlined version, Politico reported.
“Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer and [President] Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief,” Trump and Vance wrote.
They also surprisingly called for increasing the debt ceiling, saying it’s “not great,” but that they would “rather do it on Biden’s watch.”
“If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now. And we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want,” the statement read.
The president-elect doubled down in a separate Truth Social post, threatening Republicans who do not vote for the debt limit increase to be primaried.
“If Republicans try to pass a clean Continuing Resolution without all of the Democrat “bells and whistles” that will be so destructive to our Country, all it will do, after January 20th, is bring the mess of the Debt Limit into the Trump Administration, rather than allowing it to take place in the Biden Administration,” Trump wrote.
“Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried. Everything should be done, and fully negotiated, prior to my taking Office on January 20th, 2025.”
Trump and Vance argued that Congress will be tougher when they come into power on Jan. 20, when there will be a Republican trifecta across the White House, House and Senate.
“THIS CHAOS WOULD NOT BE HAPPENING IF WE HAD A REAL PRESIDENT. WE WILL IN 32 DAYS!”
