House GOP Strikes Deal to Avoid Govt. Shutdown
The Facts
- US House GOP leaders Thursday said they were able to come up with a short-term government funding bill that will allow them to avoid a shutdown scheduled to start late Friday and affect the paychecks of government workers ahead of the holidays. Pres.-elect Donald Trump endorsed the bill.
- The new bill contains a three-month extension of current government spending levels and a $110B extension of disaster relief and aid for farmers. Added to the bill was a provision to suspend the US debt ceiling for two years.
- Previously, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) introduced a 1,547-page bipartisan spending bill Tuesday night to keep the government funded through March 14, 2025, including over $100B in disaster aid.
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The Spin
Conservative narrative
The previous bill was filled with Democratic giveaways and special interest provisions that betrayed conservative principles and fiscal responsibility. This streamlined continuing resolution with a debt ceiling increase while Joe Biden is still president will better serve the country and let Trump start with a clean slate.
Democratic narrative
House Republicans have abandoned a bipartisan agreement that would have kept numerous government programs funded. Instead they've decided to follow orders from ultra-wealthy, unelected figures and a billionaire who has yet to be sworn into office, leaving open the risk of a government shutdown and putting working Americans in harm's way.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 5% chance that there will be a US government shutdown before Jan. 1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.