Mike Lee predicts demise of Johnson speakership, calls for ‘DOGE speaker’
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, predicted that House Speaker Mike Johnson would not retain the gavel next year and called for either Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy to fill the leadership role. “I don’t think the speaker is going to remain in power,” Lee predicted during a Thursday night appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime.” The senator went on to say if he is correct, the next speaker should be a “DOGE speaker,” a reference to the Department of Governmental Efficiency. President-elect Donald Trump tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead the effort to advocate for reduced government spending. “Vivek, Elon if you’re watching, please sign up, America needs you,” Lee said. TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE In a Thursday morning post on X, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had floated the idea of Musk for House speaker. “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it . . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds),” Paul posted Thursday morning. This week, with the prospect of a potential partial government shutdown looming, conservatives railed against a 1,547-page government spending measure advocated by House Speaker Mike Johnson. President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also weighed in, declaring in a statement, “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.” Before a vote on Thursday, in which 38 House Republicans and most Democrats rejected a reworked proposal with a much lower page count, Trump lambasted Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., claiming that the lawmaker was “getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory – All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself.” “Weak and ineffective people like Chip have to be dismissed as being utterly unknowledgeable as to the ways of politics, and as to Making America Great Again,” Trump asserted in a Truth Social post. TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS Lee spoke highly of Roy after Trump trashed the Lone Star State lawmaker. “There is not a more faithful advocate of conservative policy, constitutionally limited government, or MAGA principles than @ChipRoyTX,” Lee declared in a post on X. “President Trump will not have a more principled, hardworking ally than @ChipRoyTX,” he added. “If a more devoted advocate for the Constitution exists today, I have not met that person.” Roy delivered a fiery speech ahead of the vote on Thursday, in which he blasted the new version of the spending proposal and the Republicans supporting it. “Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday on certain respects,” Roy noted, adding that to “congratulate yourself because it’s shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine.” Roy said he was “sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity” to suggest the proposal was “fiscally responsible. It is absolutely ridiculous,” he asserted. Sen. Paul, R-Ky., reposted a clip of Roy’s speech, and commented, “We are either fiscally conservative or not. An unlimited increase in the debt ceiling for 2 years is not fiscally conservative and should be rejected.” MASSIE COMES OUT AGAINST JOHNSON RETAINING SPEAKER’S GAVEL: ‘HE DOES NOT HAVE MY VOTE’ In a post on X, Roy noted, “Currently, I’m against raising the debt ceiling without major spending cuts/reform.” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who like Roy, voted against passing the spending proposal on Thursday, suggested that instead of voting on a catchall measure, there should be multiple measures that receive individual votes. “This isn’t complicated. Separate the bills and vote on them individually. one vote on the clean CR one vote on the debt limit one vote on disaster relief one vote on farm bailouts Radical right? Individual bills for each issue,” he posted. Lee agreed with him. “Separate the bills,” he wrote. “Vote on them individually,” he added. “Revolutionary!”
Noem boasts outpouring of police, border union support for DHS chief: Current leaders ‘betrayed us’
Law enforcement organizations and unions nationwide are throwing their support behind Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security chief, citing her as the “best leader to restore justice” and tackle immigration woes left over from the Biden administration. “We respectfully urge you and your colleagues in the Senate to confirm Governor Noem without delay. The border security crisis demands immediate attention, and the confirmation of Governor Noem is a critical step in addressing this urgent issue,” International Union of Police Associations Local 6020, Broward Deputy Sheriffs Association, President Donald Prichard wrote in one of the endorsement letters to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., earlier this month. At least eight police groups or unions have issued letters to Paul, calling on the upcoming chairman of the committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to swiftly confirm Noem to combat the immigration crisis along the southern border, as well as stem the flow of deadly narcotics coming across the border and crack down on crime. Trump announced Noem as his pick for DHS chief shortly after his decisive win over Vice President Kamala Harris in November. The DHS oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. ‘KNOWS HOW TO GET THINGS DONE’: BORDER PATROL UNION RALLIES AROUND NOEM AS DHS CHIEF Law enforcement groups that have endorsed Noem include: the National Fraternal Order of Police, the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the U.S.; the National Association of Police Organizations; the International Union of Police Associations; the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association; International Union of Police Associations Local 6020; the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association; the Police Officers Association of Michigan; and the National Border Patrol Council. ‘SECURE OUR BORDER’: MASSIVE POLICE ORG CALLS FOR SWIFT CONFIRMATION OF NOEM TO DHS The Police Officers Association of Michigan – the Great Lakes State’s largest law enforcement group – endorsed Noem in a letter to Paul this month, lamenting that, under the Biden administration, police have faced a more difficult job as illegal immigration moved north and rocked the state. “We represented our members as they reported for work every day while others remained home during COVID and as groups of rioters attacked our members with a variety of weapons,” James Tignanelli, the president of the Michigan police group, wrote in a letter to Paul on Dec. 5. “The job has grown even more difficult because the Biden Administration has intentionally failed to enforce our immigration laws. Criminal aliens and deadly fentanyl have crossed our open borders and have increased crime in both rural and urban communities across Michigan. We always had the northern border to patrol. Now, the open border across the south has consumed Michigan as well. The current leadership of the Department of Homeland Security has betrayed us. Claims of ‘the border is secure’ were and are absurd,” he continued. The National Border Patrol Council, a union representing about 18,000 Border Patrol agents, called on Paul and his Senate colleagues to “quickly” consider Noem’s confirmation. TRUMP SELECTS SOUTH DAKOTA GOV KRISTI NOEM TO RUN DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY “On behalf of the men and women of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) who protect our nation’s borders, we are excited to provide our support for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee, Governor Kristi Noem, to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,” National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez wrote in a letter this month. The union said Noem has already established her ability to “get things done” both at home in South Dakota, and on the national stage when she aided Texas’ “Operation Lone Star” to battle the immigration crisis. ”Governor Noem was the first governor to deploy National Guard personnel to the border in Texas to support Operation Lone Star. This deployment bolstered our resources at a critical time along the border and helped to protect Texans and Americans alike.” GOV KRISTI NOEM REFLECTS ON TRUMP WIN, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TRY TO PUT WOMEN IN A BOX’ Noem has repeatedly deployed South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border in Texas to help stem illegal border crossings as part of Operation Lone Star. “The border is a war zone, so we’re sending soldiers,” Noem said in a press release in February, which marked the fifth deployment of National Guard troops to the border under the Biden administration. “These soldiers’ primary mission will be construction of a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drug cartels, and human trafficking into the United States of America.” Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes wrote in his letter to Paul that his organization also looks “forward to working with [Noem] to secure our border.” “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employs more law enforcement than any other Federal department, and as such we ask the Committee to expeditiously review and confirm nominees as soon as possible to ensure a seamless transition. We especially encourage the committee to hold the earliest possible hearing on Governor Kristi L. Noem to be the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The FOP supports her nomination, and we look forward to working with her to secure our border,” Yoes wrote. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KRISTI NOEM, THE ‘BORDER HAWK’ NOMINATED BY TRUMP TO LEAD DHS Trump, who ran on a pledge to end the immigration crisis at the southern border and crack down on the deadly drug epidemic ravaging communities across the nation, announced his nomination of Noem just days after winning the election. “Kristi has been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times. She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries. I have known Kristi for years, and have worked with her
Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in New York arrested a Mexican-born illegal immigrant who sexually abused a child after being removed from the country five times. According to ICE, the criminal immigrant, 36-year-old Raymond Rojas Basilio, sexually abused an 11-year-old child in the U.S. Rojas committed this crime after being removed from the country five times and then re-entering once again on an unknown date and at an unknown location, without admission by an immigration official. The New York Police Department arrested Rojas on Aug. 28, 2023. He was then convicted of forcible touching of the intimate parts of an 11-year-old victim by the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Sept. 20, 2024. The court sentenced him to 60 days of incarceration and six years’ probation and required him to register as a sex offender. DRUNK IMMIGRANT KILLED 7 YEAR OLD MONTHS AFTER HE WAS RELEASED FROM ICE DETAINER New York ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents then arrested Rojas outside his residence in Queens on Dec. 17. U.S. Border Patrol first arrested Rojas, following three separate attempts to unlawfully enter the U.S. near Douglas, Arizona, in May 2002. Border protection officials then arrested Rojas again on Jan. 6, 2012, at Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, when he attempted to enter the country using a fake Arizona Driver’s License and U.S. birth certificate. Just days later, on Jan. 11, border authorities again removed Rojas after he attempted to enter the country using fraudulent documents at another port of entry in Nogales. New York ICE Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo commented on the arrest, saying: “This criminal has repeatedly shown he has absolutely no regard for our nation’s laws, as evidenced by his repeated attempts to unlawfully or fraudulently enter the United States.” ICE NABS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN ALASKA, WASHINGTON STATE, OREGON, TEXAS WITH CONVICTIONS FOR CHILD EXPLOITATION “As this case illustrates, it only takes one successful unlawful entry to do irreparable harm to a member of our community,” he continued. He said that local “non-cooperation policies” in place had prevented ICE from taking immediate custody of Rojas following his sentencing by the Brooklyn court. “However, due to the diligence of our officers, ERO New York City was able to rapidly apprehend this public safety threat before he could harm any other New Yorkers,” said Genalo. According to the statement, Rojas is currently in ICE custody pending removal to Mexico.
Biden-Harris admin rolls out another $4.28 billion in student loan handouts
The Biden administration announced another $4.28 billion in student loan handouts as President Biden and Vice President Harris prepare to leave the White House. The massive loan handout will give 54,900 public workers loan forgiveness. “Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to America’s teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and I’m proud to say that we delivered,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a release on Friday. The action brings the total loan forgiveness approved by Biden to nearly $180 billion for nearly 5 million borrowers. HOUSE GOP LEADERS SCRAMBLE FOR PLAN B AFTER TRUMP, MUSK LEAD CONSERVATIVE FURY AGAINST SPENDING BILL “With the approval of another $4.28 billion in loan forgiveness for nearly 55,000 public servants, the Administration has secured nearly $180 billion in life-changing student debt relief for nearly five million borrowers,” Cardona said. “The U.S. Department of Education’s successful transformation of the PSLF Program is a testament to what’s possible when you have leaders, like President Biden and Vice President Harris, who are relentlessly and unapologetically focused on making government deliver for everyday working people.” The Biden-Harris administration touted the program for creating an “incentive” for public servants to “pursue and remain” in their careers by forgiving borrowers’ remaining balance after they made the 120 qualifying monthly payments. DAD WHO SACRIFICED HIS SAVINGS TO PAY FOR SON’S COLLEGE CALLS STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS A ‘BITTER PILL’ “The relief announced today includes both borrowers who have benefitted from the Administration’s limited PSLF waiver, a temporary opportunity that ended in October 2022, as well as from regulatory improvements made to the program during this Administration,” the release said. During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden pledged to forgive student loans for millions of Americans if elected, but the president has faced continuous legal roadblocks in his attempt to eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in debt. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP After the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration’s first attempt at providing broad-based student loan forgiveness, ruling it was an overreach of the executive branch’s authority under the Constitution, the president and his team began to work on other options to provide handouts. President-elect Trump has not said specifically how he will approach the Biden administration’s student loan handout plans, but he has said he plans to rework the entire education system during his term. Fox News Digital’s Audrie Spady contributed to this report.
Top DOGE senator to demand lame-duck Biden agencies halt costly telework talks, citing voter mandate
The Senate’s top DOGE Republican will send 24 letters – one to each major federal agency head – demanding a halt to last-minute work-from-home negotiations before President Biden returns to Delaware. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate GOP Policy Committee, made the demand days after crafting legislation for 2025 that would “decentralize” and relocate one-third of the federal workforce outside Washington, D.C. That bill’s lengthy acronym spells out “DRAIN THE SWAMP Act.” Ernst said that not a single government agency’s office space is half-occupied two-plus years on from the COVID-19 pandemic, and she previously called for the Biden administration to sell off unused real estate for taxpayers’ benefit. DOGE CAUCUS LEADER ERNST EYES RELOCATION OUT OF DC FOR ONE-THIRD OF FEDERAL WORKERS In her letters, Ernst laid out that 90% of telework-eligible federal employees are still working from home and only 6% report they are working on a “full-time basis.” Additionally, she wrote that public-sector unions are purportedly “dictating personnel policy” without regard to federal directives from the Office of Management & Budget (OMB), which is running up a massive tab and leading to wastes of time, space and money. “The union bosses are rushing to lock in last minute, lavish long-term deals with the lame-duck Biden administration—extending beyond President Trump’s next term in office—guaranteeing that bureaucrats can stay at home for another four years or longer,” Ernst wrote in one letter prepped for Office of Personnel Management director Robert Shriver III. “Apparently, protecting telework perks for public employees is a higher priority than showing up to serve American taxpayers,” she wrote, calling Biden’s submission to union demands “shocking and unacceptable.” She noted it was a similarly liberal president who vociferously opposed unionization of public employees in the first place, as Democrat Franklin Roosevelt wrote in a letter to a union steward declining a 1937 invitation to a national federal employee union convention. “All government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service,” Roosevelt said. TOP DOGE SENATOR DEMANDS ANSWERS ON PLAN TO EXHAUST CHIPS ACT FUNDS BEFORE TRUMP ARRIVES “It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management. The very nature and purposes of government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with government employee organizations.” “The employer is the whole people, who speak by means of laws enacted by their representatives in Congress.” Ernst suggested federal workers and their union representatives have forgotten Roosevelt’s warning, citing the last-minute push to ratify collective bargaining agreements and telework privilege pacts before President-elect Donald Trump can begin his oversight endeavors through DOGE. Ernst pointed out situations she said show union bosses and career agency management have the “government wrapped around their finger.” In the letters, she embedded a photo of former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley while he was serving as Biden’s Social Security Administration chief and who was wearing a Captain America T-shirt alongside a purported union official at a party. Ernst cited news reports of O’Malley going to Florida to party with union members before endorsing a contract preventing easy reduction of work-from-home ability. She said O’Malley spent the trip “crooning” Irish ballads on his guitar and drinking alcohol. “This buddy-buddy relationship between the Social Security Commissioner and the union bosses representing his workforce during what is supposed to be a negotiation resulted in a contract unbelievably slanted towards the union and against the interests of taxpayers and the mission of the agency,” she said. In another case, she pointed to Housing & Urban Development employees who may not have deserved the TFUT or “taxpayer-funded union time” they filed for. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP One such worker successfully claimed compensation while in jail. Ernst demanded the agencies report data on TFUT claims and payouts, unused or underused real estate holdings designated for use through collective bargaining, and any cases of each agency permitting unions or their employees to use department property at a discount or for free. “Giving bureaucrats another four-year vacation from the office is unacceptable. Bureaucrats have had enough gap years—it’s time to get them back to work,” she said. Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
Here’s a list of the 38 Republicans who defied Trump by voting ‘no’ on the failed spending bill
A bill to avert a partial government shutdown that was backed by President-elect Donald Trump failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night, pushing Congress closer to a government shutdown. The bill, which had won the approval of President-elect Donald Trump, still lost the approval of 38 Republicans. The deal roundly lost 235 to 174, scoring only 2 Democratic ‘yes’ votes and 197 Democratic nos. It comes after two days of chaos in Congress as lawmakers fought among themselves about a path forward on government spending – a fight joined by Trump and his allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Meanwhile, the national debt has climbed to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion. The new deal also includes several key policies unrelated to keeping the government open, but the 116-page bill is much narrower than its 1,547-page predecessor. ‘HELL NO’: HOUSE DEMS ERUPT OVER GOP SPENDING DEAL Like the initial bill, the new iteration extended the government funding deadline through March 14 while also suspending the debt limit – something Trump had pushed for. It also included $110 billion in disaster relief and a farm bill extension. “Why would we give Joe Biden more money this late in his administration?” said Rep. Bob Good, D-Va., after the vote. “The money intended for disaster victims should have been paid for, there should have been offsets. The Democrats who voted ‘yes’ on the legislation were Reps. Kathy Castor, Fla., and Marie Gleusenkamp Perez, Wash. Here’s a list of all the Republicans who voted ‘no’ on the legislation: Rep. Aaron Bean, Fla. Rep. Andy Biggs, Ariz. Rep. Josh Brecheen, Okla. Rep. Tim Burchett, Tenn. Rep. Eric Burlison, Mo. Rep. Kat Cammack, Fla. Rep. Michael Cloud, Texas Rep. Andrew Clyde, Va. Rep. Eli Crane, Ariz. Rep. John Curtis, Utah Rep. Jeff Duncan, S.C. Rep. Russ Fulcher, Idaho Rep. Bob Good, Va. Rep. Paul Gosar, Ariz. Rep. Doug Lamborn, Colo. Rep. Debbie Lesko, Ariz. Rep. Nancy Mace, S.C. Rep. Thomas Massie, Ky. Rep. Rich McCormick, Ga. Rep. Corey Mills, Fla. Rep. Alex Mooney, W. Va. Rep. Ralph Norman, S.C. Rep. Scott Perry, Pa. Rep. Chip Roy, Texas Rep. David Schweikert, Ariz. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Keith Self, Texas Rep. Victoria Spartz, Ind. Rep. Tom Tiffany, Wis. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, Texas
In an early legislative test for Trump, plan B spending bill tanks in House
House Republicans failed to secure the majority votes needed Thursday on a spending bill to avert a government shutdown by week’s end, handing a decisive loss to President-elect Trump in an early test of his ability to unite Republicans in the chamber. The bill failed by a vote of 235-174, including 38 Republicans who voted down the legislation. The bill not only failed the method that allowed lawmakers to fast-track it with a two-thirds majority. It also failed to pass by normal standards, which require a threshold of 218 “yea” votes. TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE Among the 38 Republicans who voted against the bill was Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who torched the funding legislation in a speech on the House floor. Roy, who spent much of the day Thursday sparring with Trump over Roy’s opposition to the deal, noted that the measure would allow $5 trillion to be added to the national debt, cutting against the GOP’s tenet of fiscal responsibility. Roy said Republicans who voted to approve the measure lack “self-respect.” “I am absolutely sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go forward to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible,” said Roy, who had also opposed the first spending bill. “It is absolutely ridiculous.” Still, the number of Republicans who failed to fall in line Thursday evening could signal bigger challenges ahead for Trump, who had sought to bend House Speaker Mike Johnson and others in the chamber’s GOP majority to his political will and pass through a new bill with a higher debt ceiling. That bill sparked opposition from Democrats, who were more broadly opposed to the idea, and from fiscal conservatives within the Republican Party. With $36 trillion in debt and a $1.8 trillion deficit in 2024, some conservatives are against a continuing resolution, which punts the funding deadline to March and keeps spending at 2024 levels. The deal Trump had pushed for would have included a two-year suspension of the debt limit, sparking further opposition among some Republicans. ‘HELL NO’: HOUSE DEMS ERUPT OVER GOP SPENDING DEAL That divide put pressure on Democrats, who had widely signaled their intent Thursday to oppose the legislation. Minority leaders spent most of the day railing against Trump and Elon Musk for interfering in the process and tanking the first spending deal, which had been slated to pass Wednesday night with bipartisan support. Ahead of the vote on the new bill Thursday, Democrats led chants of “hell no,” sending a clear signal of their displeasure over the way the new spending bill was teed up. Following the bill’s failure, Johnson immediately began huddling with a group of House Republicans who had voted against the bill in a likely attempt to shore up support for another vote Friday. “Very disappointing to us that all but two Democrats voted against aid to farmers and ranchers, against disaster relief, against all these bipartisan measures that had already been negotiated and decided upon,” Johnson said after the failed vote. “Again, the only difference in this legislation was that we would push the debt ceiling to January 2027. “I want you all to remember that it was just last spring that the same Democrats berated Republicans and said that it was irresponsible to hold the debt limit, the debt ceiling hostage.”
Hillary Clinton says Republicans are taking orders from ‘world’s richest man’ to shut down government
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sounded off about Elon Musk’s influence over the spending drama on Capitol Hill on Thursday. “If you’re just catching up: the Republican Party, taking orders from the world’s richest man, is on course to shut down the government over the holidays, stopping paychecks for our troops and nutrition benefits for low-income families just in time for Christmas,” the 2016 presidential candidate wrote on X. Clinton, a former first lady and senator, was in Congress from 2001 to 2009. Her comments came just as House Speaker Mike Johnson released a new version of a continuing resolution, or CR, to keep the government open beyond a Friday night deadline. ‘HELL NO’: HOUSE DEMS ERUPT OVER GOP SPENDING DEAL Musk came out in strong opposition to the original spending deal Johnson negotiated with Democrats, threatening to back a primary challenge to any Republican who voted for it. Without a passable deal to kick the government funding deadline to March and continue spending at 2024 levels, the government will go into partial shutdown at midnight Saturday. But House Democrats are balking at the latest iteration of a spending plan. And with $36 trillion in debt and a $1.8 trillion deficit in 2024, some conservatives are against a CR, which punts the funding deadline to March and keeps spending at 2024 levels entirely. “The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious, it’s laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., indicated Democratic leadership would whip their members to vote “no” on the deal. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., lamented that the last deal had been blown up by opposition from conservatives, with input from DOGE leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS DURING A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “Everybody agreed,” he said, “and then it was blown up by Elon Musk, who apparently has become the fourth branch of government. And that’s just an intolerable way of proceeding.” “Democrats are going to try to figure out how we can salvage the public good as the wreckage that’s just been pushed.” Chants of “hell no” could be heard inside the room where Democrats were meeting after the bill’s text was released. The newest continuing resolution, or CR, would extend current government funding levels for three months and also suspend the debt limit for two years, something President-elect Trump has demanded. It comes after the original 1,500-page CR drew opposition from the right, due to policy and funding riders. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP House lawmakers could vote on the new bill as early as Thursday evening. It’s not immediately clear if the new deal would pass – Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who also led opposition to the initial bill, also blasted the new deal. “More debt. More government. Increasing the Credit Card $4 trillion with ZERO spending restraint and cuts. HARD NO,” Roy wrote on X.
House vote imminent on Trump-backed bill to avoid government shutdown
The House of Representatives is set to imminently vote on a bill backed by President-elect Trump to avert a government shutdown. It comes after two days of chaos in Congress as lawmakers fought amongst themselves about a path forward on government spending – a fight joined by Trump and his allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Meanwhile, the national debt has climbed to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion. The legislation was hastily negotiated on Thursday after GOP hardliners led by Musk and Ramaswamy rebelled against an initial bipartisan deal that would have extended the government funding deadline until March 14 and included a host of unrelated policy riders. The new deal also includes several key policies unrelated to keeping the government open, but the 116-page bill is much narrower than its 1,547-page predecessor. Like the initial bill, the new iteration extended the government funding deadline through March 14 while also suspending the debt limit – something Trump had pushed for. It proposed to suspend the debt limit for two years until January 2027, still keeping it in Trump’s term but delaying that fight until after the 2026 Congressional midterm elections. The new proposal also included roughly $110 billion in disaster relief aid for Americans affected by storms Milton and Helene, as well as a measure to cover the cost of rebuilding Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was hit by a barge earlier this year. Excluded from the second-round measure is the first pay raise for congressional lawmakers since 2009 and a measure aimed at revitalizing Washington, D.C.’s RFK stadium. The text of the new bill was also significantly shorter – going from 1,547 pages to just 116. “All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote ‘YES’ for this Bill, TONIGHT!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. But the bill hit opposition before the legislative text was even released. Democrats, furious at Johnson for reneging on their original bipartisan deal, chanted “Hell no” in their closed-door conference meeting on Thursday night to debate the bill. Nearly all House Democrats who left the meeting indicated they were voting against it. Meanwhile, members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus also said they would vote against the bill. “Old bill: $110BB in deficit spending (unpaid for), $0 increase in the national credit card. New bill: $110BB in deficit spending (unpaid for), $4 TRILLION+ debt ceiling increase with $0 in structural reforms for cuts. Time to read the bill: 1.5 hours. I will vote no,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on X.
‘Hell no’: House Dems erupt over GOP spending deal
House Democrats are balking at the latest iteration of a spending plan that was released on Thursday by Speaker Mike Johnson. “The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious, it’s laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., indicated Democratic leadership would whip their members to vote “no” on the deal. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., lamented that the last deal had been blown up by opposition from conservatives, with input from DOGE leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. “Everybody agreed,” he said, “and then it was blown up by Elon Musk, who apparently has become the fourth branch of government. And that’s just an intolerable way of proceeding.” “Democrats are going to try to figure out how we can salvage the public good as the wreckage that’s just been pushed.” HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS DURING A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Chants of “hell no” could be heard inside the room where Democrats were meeting after the bill’s text was released. The newest continuing resolution, or CR, would extend current government funding levels for three months and also suspend the debt limit for two years, something President-elect Trump has demanded. It comes after the original 1,500-page CR drew opposition from the right, due to policy and funding riders. House lawmakers could vote on the new bill as early as Thursday evening. It’s not immediately clear if the new deal would pass – Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who also led opposition to the initial bill, also blasted the new deal. “More debt. More government. Increasing the Credit Card $4 trillion with ZERO spending restraint and cuts. HARD NO,” Roy wrote on X. HOUSE GOP LEADERS SCRAMBLE FOR PLAN B AFTER TRUMP, MUSK LEAD CONSERVATIVE FURY AGAINST SPENDING BILL With $36 trillion in debt and a $1.8 trillion deficit in 2024, some conservatives are against a CR, which punts the funding deadline to March and keeps spending at 2024 levels, entirely. Without conservative Republicans’ votes, Johnson will need to rely on Democrats to help get spending legislation across the House floor. Trump praised the deal minutes after Fox News Digital reported its contents. The deal also includes aid for farmers and roughly $110 billion in disaster relief funding for Americans impacted by storms Helene and Milton. It would also include certain health care provisions minus reforms to the Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) system that some Republicans and Democrats were pushing for – but others vehemently opposed. Trump said of the deal, “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.” “All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote ‘YES’ for this Bill, TONIGHT!” he wrote. Shortly after Fox News Digital’s report, House leaders released the legislative text of the bill. It came in at about 116 pages, a far cry from their original 1,547-page legislation. It comes after conservatives led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy torpedoed Speaker Mike Johnson’s initial government funding plan on Wednesday, prompting fears of a partial government shutdown right before the holidays. GOP hardliners were furious about what they saw as unrelated measures and policy riders being added to the bill at the last minute. House Republicans began negotiations for a “clean” bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), but those were also upended when Trump urged GOP lawmakers to pair a CR with action on the debt limit – which was expected to be a contentious battle in the first half of next year. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Musk and Ramaswamy also lent their voices to the fight, with Musk calling on any Republican who supported the deal to lose their House seats. In addition to averting a partial government shutdown through March 14, the bill also included a provision to allow for the revitalization of RFK stadium in Washington, D.C.; permits to sell ethanol fuel year-round; and the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009 – both measures that did not get into the latest deal.