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House Republicans have reached a tentative agreement to prevent a partial government shutdown following two failed attempts to pass funding legislation. The new plan involves a short-term extension of current federal funding levels, disaster aid, and agricultural support, divided into three separate bills. This strategy emerged after President-elect Trump and his allies, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, opposed earlier bipartisan efforts, leading to their defeat in the House.
House Speaker Mike Johnson's initial proposal, which aligned with Trump's demands to address the debt limit, was rejected when 38 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against it. The national debt, now exceeding $36 trillion, remains a contentious issue among conservative lawmakers.
The new agreement includes a commitment to address the debt limit next year through reconciliation as part of a broader conservative policy overhaul. However, it is unclear if House Democrats will support the deal. Some Democratic lawmakers have accused Johnson of reneging on previous bipartisan agreements, further complicating negotiations.
However, Johnson appeared optimistic that a government shutdown would be avoided.
“There is a unanimous agreement in the room that we need to move forward. I will not telegraph to you the specific details of that yet because I’ve got a couple of things I’ve got to wrap up in a few moments upstairs, but I expect that we will be proceeding forward," he said. "We will not have a government shutdown, and we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for the disaster victims all over the country and for making sure that military and essential services and everyone who relies on the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays."
With the shutdown deadline looming, House leaders must decide whether to expedite the bill through traditional channels or use a "suspension of the rules," which would require a two-thirds majority for passage.
The outcome remains uncertain as the clock ticks down to the shutdown deadline.