Fri Dec 20 03:18:55 UTC 2024: ## US Government Faces Partial Shutdown After Spending Bill Fails
**Washington D.C.** – The US government is teetering on the brink of a partial shutdown after the House of Representatives rejected a spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump. The 174-235 vote late Thursday came after opposition from Democrats and a significant number of hard-right Republicans who argued the bill added excessively to the national debt.
The rejected bill, a last-minute attempt to avoid a shutdown, would have temporarily funded the government, delayed raising the debt ceiling until 2027, and allocated $110 billion for disaster relief. Its failure follows the collapse of an earlier bipartisan agreement after eleventh-hour objections from President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Elon Musk.
Criticism of the bill came from both sides of the aisle. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “not serious,” while Republican hardliners expressed concern over unchecked spending and the lack of planned cuts. Republican Representative Chip Roy stated that he wouldn’t vote for another debt limit increase without knowing the specifics of spending cuts.
The looming shutdown threatens to impact millions of Americans. More than two million federal workers face unpaid wages ahead of the holidays, and various government services will face budget cuts. Air travelers could also experience significant delays, with the TSA warning of potential longer wait times due to potential furloughs of its workforce. The Federal Aviation Administration also anticipates furloughing as many as 17,000 workers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that Republicans would work on a new solution, but without a swift resolution, a partial government shutdown will begin at midnight Friday. The impact on essential services and the public remains uncertain as the deadline approaches.
First Piper 