House GOP Strikes Agreement To Forestall Government Shutdown

House Republicans have come to a consensus on a plan to avert a potential government shutdown, with President-elect Donald Trump urging all members of the party to approve it by Thursday evening.

The newly proposed funding package would ensure the government remains operational for the next three months, extend agricultural support, suspend the debt ceiling for two years until January 30, 2027, and provide additional disaster relief funds. However, it excludes several provisions from a previous agreement that had faltered earlier in the week, according to the 116-page bill’s contents.

“Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People,” Trump stated on Truth Social.

“All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote ‘YES’ for this Bill, TONIGHT!”

Around 3:30 p.m., House Appropriations Committee Chairman Thomas Cole (R-Okla.) and Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) confirmed to reporters that “there is an agreement,” although they refrained from providing further details after emerging from the long day of discussions in the speaker’s office.

The previous deal, spanning more than 1,500 pages, was derailed following intense lobbying from tech mogul Elon Musk, his Department of Government Efficiency co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy, and other fiscal conservatives in the House.

Sources informed The Post that the House could vote on the agreement as early as 6 p.m., though it remains unclear if the bill will pass through the Rules Committee or be brought to the floor directly.

Under House procedures, any proposal that bypasses committee review must secure a two-thirds majority in the chamber, meaning some Democrats would need to support the bill for it to succeed.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) spent much of Thursday in his office, with numerous Republican lawmakers coming and going as talks continued.

Trump, who opposed the earlier government funding proposal on Wednesday, was kept up to date on the new deal both by his staff and directly by lawmakers engaged in the discussions.

“The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes,” Trump added.

The announcement of the deal coincided with a meeting of the House Freedom Caucus, which was strategizing over the situation. Republican leadership is eager to push the agreement through as swiftly as possible.

Johnson had initially hoped to follow the 72-hour rule that would allow members time to review the bill’s text. However, following the collapse of the previous 1,547-page bill, it became increasingly unlikely that this timeline would be adhered to.

The new agreement removes several provisions from the earlier proposal, such as a pay raise for Congress members, up to $2 billion in funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and reforms targeting pharmaceutical benefit managers, among other items.

After rejecting the original funding proposal, Trump urged Congress to address the suspended debt limit, which is set to remain in place until early next year.

This stance created divisions within hardline Republicans, who had been vehemently opposed to the initial agreement.

“It’s a watered-down version of the same crappy bill people were mad about yesterday,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told reporters as the details of the new deal emerged.

Should the new measure pass, the debt ceiling would be suspended until January 30, 2027.

Roy, who had been involved in discussions with Johnson throughout Thursday, became the target of Trump’s criticism on Truth Social. The president-elect had previously expressed anger at Roy for supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 GOP primary.

Democrats have remained somewhat reserved about their stance on the new deal.

“House Democrats are going to continue to fight for families, farmers and the future of working-class Americans,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told reporters on Thursday. “And in order to do that, the best path forward is the bipartisan agreement that we negotiated.”

If Congress fails to reach a resolution, the government faces a partial shutdown starting at midnight Friday.

Several Republicans exiting Johnson’s office on Thursday expressed a desire to ensure that disaster relief and agricultural aid were included in the final package.

The proposal must still pass through the Senate and receive President Biden’s approval before it can take effect.

{Matzav.com}