House Republicans are back to the drawing board, scrambling to find a path forward to avert a government shutdown as the clock ticks down on the midnight deadline Friday.
The House failed to pass an 11th-hour GOP spending deal late Thursday which was backed by President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk putting Speaker Mike Johnson back at square one.
The Republican bill went down in flames with a 174 to 235 vote after nearly every Democrat and 38 House Republicans voted against it.
The slimmed down deal with brought for a vote after Trump and Musk called on Johnson to scrap a broader bipartisan bill negotiated between Republicans and Democrats that would have funded the government through mid-March.
But the new slimmed down Republican bill included a provision demanded by Trump to push back the debt ceiling limit until 2027.
Democrats opposed it because it eliminates one of the only leverage tools they would have under Trump and some conservative Republicans are completely against raising the debt limit altogether.
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaking before the vote failed on the Trump-backed spending deal on Thursday as the deadline loomed before the government shutdown
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On Friday morning, Speaker Mike Johnson said entering the U.S. Capitol that he expects votes.
‘We’ve got a plan,’ he claimed, but the details on how they would move forward successfully to avoid a shutdown remains unclear.
Democrats have blasted Republicans for scrapping the bipartisan deal worked out over weeks of negotiations and any move to include the debt ceiling.
Any spending bill would also need to pass in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
Trump on Friday wrote if there is going to be a shutdown, it should take place under President Biden, not when he takes office in January despite him encouraging Republicans to blow up the original deal.
Why is the government on a 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 bills that provide federal agencies money annually.
When spending bills have not been passed by Congress for an entire fiscal year, Congress can pass a temporary spending measures to allow federal government operations to continue at the previous year’s levels. These temporary measures are known as continuing resolutions (CRs).
It’s reaching an agreement on this temporary measure that has the House currently deadlocked.
Lawmakers needed to pass a funding bill before the midnight deadline on Friday to avoid a government shutdown.
But even as many government services would halt, some services such as those necessary to protect national security, public safety and public health would continue.
What happens if the government shuts down?
If the federal government shuts down, nonessential services will stop operations, and many federal employees across the country will not be paid over the busy holiday season.
Federal agencies have to classify employees during a shutdown and some will be expected to work without pay during the shutdown while others will be put on unpaid furlough.
The U.S. military and federal law enforcement are required to work despite the government shutdown but would not get paid.
TSA officials, air traffic controllers, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents would also remain on the job without pay.
Social Security checks will continue to go out to recipients, but the Social Security Administration would have limited services like issuing cards, appointments and verifying payments. Customer service wait times would dramatically increase.
Medicare payments would not be impacted. The U.S. Postal Service is also not affected by a shutdown.
A shutdown would delay 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 travelers hitting the roads over the holidays as workers are furloughed during the shutdown.
How long would a government shutdown last?
The government shutdown would last until Congress is able to pass a deal and it is signed by the president.
Typically government shutdowns last just a few days as lawmakers work around the clock to end the gridlock.
But there have been several government shutdowns over the years that have lasted more than a week and even one that once lasted more than a month.
Federal workers who are not paid for work during a government shutdown typically receive backpay once an agreement is reached and the shutdown ends.
When was the last time the government shutdown?
The last time the federal government shut down was under Trump during his first term in office as the president butted heads with lawmakers over funding for the border wall.
The shutdown at the end of 2018 into the new year lasted 35 days, making it the longest government shutdown to date.
Even if the government is shut down for the rest of President Biden’s term, it could still be shorter than the last one that took place 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 lasted 35 days. Trump and Musk helped tanked the spending deal negotiated between Johnson and Democrats ahead of the deadline
During the last government shutdown, the Congressional Budget Office estimated federal employee compensation was reduced by $9 billion from regular levels, which also had an impact on spending at private businesses.
Federal workers reported having trouble affording food and housing during the shutdown.
The FAA also announced flight delays due to staffing concerns related to the shutdown.
The second longest government shutdown took place in the 1990s under President Clinton at 21 says.
