WASHINGTON – Rushing to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, House Speaker Mike Johnson scrambled Wednesday to salvage a stopgap measure to keep federal offices running into March despite an onslaught of opposition from hard-right conservatives led by President-elect Donald Trump-ally billionaire Elon Musk.
Rank-and-file lawmakers decried the massive 1,500-page bill over its increased spending — which includes their first pay-raises in more than a decade — a shock after one of the most unproductive chaotic sessions in modern times. A number of Republicans were waiting for Trump to signal whether they should vote yes or no.
“This should not pass,” Musk posted on his social media site X in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
The outcome comes as no surprise for Johnson, who like other Republican House speakers before him, has been unable to convince his majority to go along with the routine needs of federal government operations, which they would prefer to slash.
Even the addition of much-needed disaster aid, some $100.4 billion in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural calamities that ravaged states this year, plus $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers failed to win over the budget-slashing GOP.
It all shows just how hard it will be for Republicans next year, as they seize control of the House, Senate and White House, to unify and lead the nation. And it underscores how much Johnson and the GOP leaders must depend on Trump’s blessing to see any legislative package over the finish line.
The president-elect had yet to weigh in on what the lawmakers should do, but Musk, who is heading the his new Department of Government Efficiency was leading the charge against it.
Musk even warned that “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
It’s not an idle threat coming from Musk, the world’s richest man, who helped bankroll Trump’s victory and can easily use his America PAC to make or break political careers.
Democrats, who negotiated the final product with Johnson and Senate GOP leadership, will be expected to provide enough support to help Johnson ensure passage, as is often the case on big bills. Federal government funding runs out at midnight Friday.
“The sooner Congress acts, the better,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said as he opened the upper chamber. “As always, bipartisan cooperation must lead the way – we can’t have last minute delays or grandstanding.”
The final package extends existing government programs and services at their current operating levels for a few more months, through March 14, 2025.
The stopgap measure is needed because Congress has failed to pass its annual appropriations bills to fund all the various agencies in the federal government, from the Pentagon and national security apparats, to the health, welfare, transportation and other routine domestic services. When the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, Congress simply punted the problem by passing a temporary funding bill that expires Friday.
But the inches-thick bill goes beyond routine funding and tacks on several other measures that lawmakers are trying to push through to passage before the end of this congressional session, especially as some elected officials will not be returning in the new year.
And then there’s the pay-raise.
Some lawmakers expressed concern that the bill turns off a pay freeze provision that was included in the previous short-term spending measure. That change could allow a maximum pay adjustment of 3.8% or $6,600 in 2025, bringing their annual pay to $180,600, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
Members of Congress last got a raise in 2009, when the salary was increased 2.8% to $174,000 annually. If member pay had not been frozen since 2009, salaries would be about $217,900.
When adjusted for inflation, salaries have decreased about 31% from 2009, the research report said.
Among other provisions in the package, there’s full federal funding to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed when struck by a cargo ship that reported losing power just before the crash. Federal taxpayers will be reimbursed through proceeds from insurance payments and litigation.
And there’s also a provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia, which could potentially lead to a new stadium for the Washington Commanders.
On the health care front, the legislation seeks to extend coverage of telehealth appointments for Medicare enrollees and rein in how much money pharmacy benefits managers — the companies that negotiate how and what drugs are covered by insurance plans — make off those deals.
The bill also includes provisions focused on countering China, including expanding on President Biden’s executive order that seeks to restrict investments into countries that pose a national security threat to the United States. Blocking China’s high-tech ambitions is one of the few issues that enjoys broad support in Washington from both Republicans and Democrats.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
