Republicans in the House of Representatives are back to the drawing board, trying to find a path forward to avoid a government shutdown as the clock ticks toward the midnight deadline on Friday.
The House of Representatives failed Thursday evening to pass an 11th-hour GOP spending deal backed by newly elected President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, putting Chairman Mike Johnson back in the top spot.
The Republican bill went down in flames on a 174-235 vote after nearly every Democrat and 38 Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against it.
The pared-down deal was voted on after Trump and Musk called on Johnson to scrap a broader, bipartisan bill negotiated between Republicans and Democrats that would have funded the government until mid-March.
But the new, slimmed-down Republican bill included a provision demanded by Trump to extend the debt ceiling until 2027.
Democrats opposed it because it eliminates one of the few leverage tools they would have under Trump, and some conservative Republicans are dead set against raising the debt limit altogether.
House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke on Thursday before the vote collapsed on the Trump-backed spending deal, as the deadline approached for the government shutdown
success
On Friday morning, Speaker Mike Johnson said upon entering the U.S. Capitol that he expects votes.
“We have a plan,” he asserted, but the details of how they would successfully move forward to avoid a shutdown remain unclear.
Democrats have blasted Republicans for scrapping the bipartisan deal, which came after weeks of negotiations and every move to include the debt ceiling.
Any spending bill would also have to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Trump wrote on Friday that if there is a shutdown, it should take place under President Biden, and not when he takes office in January, despite encouraging Republicans to blow up the original deal.
Why is the government on the verge of a shutdown?
The government is forced into a shutdown when funding runs out, and Congress is unable to pass more funding to keep the lights on.
The government is funded through spending laws that provide annual funding to federal agencies.
When Congress has not passed spending legislation for an entire fiscal year, Congress may authorize temporary spending measures to continue federal government operations at the level of the previous year. These temporary measures are known as continuing resolutions (CRs).
Agreement is reached on this temporary measure, which currently leaves the House at an impasse.
Lawmakers had to pass a funding bill before a midnight deadline Friday to avoid a government shutdown.
But even if many government services were to cease, some services, such as those necessary to protect national security, public safety and public health, would continue.
What happens if the government closes its doors?
If the federal government closes its doors, non-essential services will cease operations, and many federal employees across the country will not be paid during the busy holiday season.
Federal agencies must classify employees during a shutdown and some are expected to work without pay during the shutdown, while others are put on unpaid leave.
The U.S. military and federal law enforcement agencies must continue to work despite the government shutdown, but they are not getting paid for it.
TSA officials, air traffic controllers and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents would also continue to work without pay.
Social Security checks will continue to go to recipients, but the Social Security Administration would have limited services such as issuing cards, appointments and verifying payments. Customer service wait times would increase dramatically.
Medicare payments would not be affected. The US Postal Service is also not affected by a closure.
A shutdown would slow the government’s ability to process applications ranging from small business loans to passports and signing up for government benefits.
National parks and monuments would likely be closed to holiday travelers as employees are furloughed during the closure.
How long would a government shutdown last?
The government shutdown would last until Congress can approve a deal and it is signed by the president.
Normally, government shutdowns last only a few days as lawmakers work around the clock to end the gridlock.
But there have been several government shutdowns over the years that lasted more than a week and even one that once lasted more than a month.
Federal employees who are not paid for work during a government shutdown typically receive back pay once an agreement is reached and the shutdown ends.
When was the last time the government shut down?
The last time the federal government was shut down was under Trump during his first term, when the president fell out with lawmakers over border wall funding.
The shutdown at the end of 2018 leading into the new year lasted 35 days, making it the longest government shutdown to date.
Even if the government is shut down for the remainder of President Biden’s term, it could still be shorter than the last one under Trump.
Speaker Mike Johnson with President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and Elon Musk on December 14. The last time the government shut down was during Trump’s first term. It took 35 days. Trump and Musk helped kill the spending deal negotiated by Johnson and Democrats before the deadline
During the last government shutdown, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that federal employee salaries were reduced by $9 billion from regular levels, which also impacted spending at private companies.
Federal workers reported having trouble paying for food and housing during the shutdown.
The FAA also announced flight delays due to staffing issues related to the shutdown.
The second longest government shutdown occurred in the 1990s under President Clinton, at the age of 21.