WASHINGTON A short-term spending bill backed by US President-elect Donald Trump failed in dramatic fashion Thursday night as a critical deadline to keep the government open rapidly approaches. The bill, known as the American Relief Act of 2024, was rejected 174-235 with one Democrat abstaining as it failed to gain even a simple majority in the chamber controlled by Republicans. Under rules that fast-track such legislation, the bill needed two-thirds support to pass.
House Speaker Mike Johnson put it forward after Trump and his senior lieutenants, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, rallied Republicans against a bipartisan spending package that would fund the government through March 14, torpedoing the legislation after months of negotiations with a midnight Friday deadline just one day away. Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill ahead of the vote that "we're going to do the right thing," claiming the bill had wide support among House Republicans. But dozens of members of his caucus jumped ship in a sign of a lack of support, particularly over the bill's extension of the debt limit through 2027, a key concession to Trump.
Representative Chip Roy, who has vocally opposed the lifting of the debt ceiling, lambasted his fellow Republicans, saying they "never have any ounce of self-respect," drawing applause from some members of his own party. "It's embarrassing. It's shameful.
Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday on certain respects, but to take this bill yest.
