House Speaker Mike Johnson withdrew a stopgap spending bill aimed at keeping the government funded into spring after facing mounting opposition from fellow Republicans, including President Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
The measure, unveiled Tuesday, drew criticism for its inclusion of billions in additional spending, prompting a GOP revolt that left the path forward uncertain.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed the bill’s demise on Wednesday. “There’s no new agreement right now,” Scalise said, with lawmakers facing a looming Friday deadline to prevent a government shutdown.
The proposed bill would have extended funding through March 14. Trump and Vance issued a statement criticizing the measure, urging Republicans to pass a streamlined spending bill without what they called “Democrat giveaways” and to simultaneously address the debt ceiling.
“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,” they said. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country.”
The debt ceiling, which limits the government’s borrowing ability, has not been a part of the current negotiations.
“Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch,” Trump and Vance wrote. “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.”
The bill’s introduction had already ignited backlash within the House Republican conference, with many conservatives targeting Johnson. The speaker, who previously vowed to avoid large, year-end spending packages detested by the GOP’s right wing, faced criticism for producing a bill that closely resembled the kind of legislation many in his party have opposed for years.
