Congress narrowly averted a government shutdown with the passage of a stopgap funding bill shortly after midnight on Saturday (Dec. 21). According to CNN, President-Elect Donald Trump was “frustrated” that his demand for a debt ceiling increase was dropped from negotiations.
The 11th-hour deal provides funding through March 14, 2025, and includes $100 billion in natural disaster relief, as well as a one-year extension for aid to farmers. Biden signed the bill, known as the “American Relief Act, 2025,” into law Saturday morning after it passed with a 366-34 vote in the House and 85-11 in the Senate.
In a released statement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “President Biden supports moving this legislation forward and ensuring that the vital services the government provides for hardworking Americans — from issuing Social Security checks to processing benefits for veterans — can continue as well as to grant assistance for communities that were impacted by devastating hurricanes."
Republicans and Democrats will have to renegotiate a new package in three months, when the government will again face a potential shutdown under Trump’s administration. House Speaker Mike Johnson said that the Hail Mary agreement “is a good outcome for the country.” Contrary to CNN’s source, he claimed to have spoken to the soon-to-be president, who is purportedly “happy about this outcome as well.”
As previously reported by REVOLT, the embattled politician told NBC News on Thursday (Dec. 19) that he would lead the charge in removing the debt ceiling, which he deemed a “meaningless concept.” “Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” Trump wrote in a Dec. 20 post shared to Truth Social. “Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President,” he added.
The GOP leader doubled down on his stance in a second message where he stated, “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”
The National Treasury’s Fiscal Data website’s simplified breakdown of the ceiling reads: “The national debt is similar to a person using a credit card for purchases and not paying off the full balance each month. The cost of purchases exceeding the amount paid off represents a deficit, while accumulated deficits over time represents a person’s overall debt.” The projected amassed debt is nearly $35.5 trillion.