The Trump admin has been a force to be reckoned with. But not all is going well for them.
That’s why President Trump sent a hot ultimatum to Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson Prepares for Crucial Vote to Avoid Government Shutdown
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, is readying Congress for a pivotal vote scheduled for Tuesday on a bill designed to prevent a partial government shutdown during the initial 100 days of President Donald Trump’s term. With the clock ticking toward a Friday, March 14 deadline, this 99-page piece of legislation aims to keep federal agencies operational through September 30. Facing a lack of backing from Democrats, Johnson is relying heavily on Republican unity to push the measure through.
The urgency of the situation has not been lost on Trump, who took to Truth Social on Saturday to rally his party. “The House and Senate have put together, under the circumstances, a very good funding Bill (‘CR’)! All Republicans should vote (Please!) YES next week,” he wrote. “Great things are coming for America, and I am asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the Country’s ‘financial house’ in order. Democrats will do anything they can to shut down our Government, and we can’t let that happen.” Trump stressed the need for solidarity, adding, “We have to remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right. VERY IMPORTANT. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Despite Trump’s plea, not all Republicans are on board. Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky expressed his dissent on X on Sunday, stating, “I’m not voting for the Continuing Resolution budget (cut-copy-paste omnibus) this week. Why would I vote to continue the waste fraud and abuse DOGE has found? We were told the CR in December would get us to March when we would fight. Here we are in March, punting again! WTFO.” Massie’s opposition signals potential fractures within the party, recalling dozens of conservative defections on similar funding measures over the past two years.
I’m not voting for the Continuing Resolution budget (cut-copy-paste omnibus) this week. Why would I vote to continue the waste fraud and abuse DOGE has found?
We were told the CR in December would get us to March when we would fight.
Here we are in March, punting again!
WTFO
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 10, 2025
In contrast, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, while historically opposed to continuing resolutions, supports Johnson’s effort. “I don’t like CRs,” Norman admitted. “But what’s the alternative? Negotiate with Democrats? No.” He expressed faith in Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, to address the nation’s debt, tipping his decision in favor of the bill.
On Saturday, House Republican leadership aides detailed the bill’s financial framework during a call with reporters. It allocates $892.5 billion for discretionary defense spending and $708 billion for non-defense discretionary spending. While the aides noted close coordination with the White House, they stopped short of claiming Trump’s full endorsement, as he has yet to review the document in detail. To appease national security advocates, the bill adds $8 billion to defense funding, though non-defense discretionary spending would see a $13 billion reduction. Veterans’ healthcare receives an additional $6 billion boost.
The White House had pushed for specific funding increases, or “anomalies,” absent from the last funding extension. One key request, now met, bolsters Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to address an operational shortfall inherited from the Biden administration. “That money, most of that, has already been obligated prior to the start of this administration. So that request reflects an existing hole,” a source explained.
The legislation adheres to spending caps set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), a prior bipartisan deal limiting fiscal year 2025 federal spending growth to 1%. To achieve savings, House GOP aides said the bill eliminates certain “side deals” from FRA talks and blocks lawmakers from securing earmarks—special district projects often criticized as wasteful.
Notably, the bill excludes mandatory spending programs like Social Security and Medicare, which operate automatically and bypass regular congressional review. Democrats, however, voiced alarm over this omission. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, alongside other Democratic leaders, declared, “We are voting no,” citing concerns that the bill fails to safeguard these programs and Medicaid—potential targets for cuts to fund Trump-era tax extensions.
Senate and House Appropriations Committee Democrats, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, also criticized the legislation. Murray warned it would “give Donald Trump and Elon Musk more power over federal spending — and more power to pick winners and losers, which threatens families in blue and red states alike.” DeLauro, posting on X, labeled the CR “a power grab for the White House.”
Amid the partisan divide, Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican leading the Senate Appropriations Committee, emphasized the stakes of avoiding a shutdown. “They require certain essential government employees, such as Border Patrol agents, members of our military and Coast Guard, TSA screeners, and air traffic controllers, to report to work with no certainty on when they will receive their next paycheck,” she said. “We cannot allow that to occur.” For Collins, the priority remains keeping government functions intact.
As Tuesday’s vote looms, Johnson faces the dual challenge of unifying his party and averting a shutdown, with the outcome poised to shape the early trajectory of Trump’s presidency.
The White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, went on Fox News to say that Democrats are going to face the consequences for a shutdown if it were to happen. His reasoning was that in all of U.S. history, there’s never been a shutdown with a “clean” funding bill on the table for Congress to vote on.
He argued that this just proves how out-of-touch Democrats are, given that they can’t get on board with basic legislation and reforms that Americans want to see pass. He said if Democrats “take the bait” for a shutdown, it’ll just make them look even more like “crazy” Marxists in the eyes of the American public.
SHUTDOWN: I hope the Democrats take the bait and shutdown the government. pic.twitter.com/OdiWF0GPVX
— @amuse (@amuse) March 10, 2025
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
