White House says there is still time to avert shutdown as deadline looms

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House said Friday that there is still time to avoid a government shutdown as it assailed congressional Republicans for the "mess" left in the wake of their decision to abandon a bipartisan agreement that would have funded the government through March 14.

Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said federal agencies have begun informing employees who would be affected by a shutdown that they may be furloughed or effectively sidelined without pay during a shutdown. But she said the action was taken in the interest of "prudent planning" and maintained the Republicans' decision to walk away from a long-negotiated deal now means the party needs "to fix this period."

She maintained President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk "picked the fight" that has consumed Washington by rallying Republicans against the short-term spending package that had gathered support from Republicans and Democrats alike.

"There was a bipartisan deal on the table. They were moving forward. The speaker agreed to do this, to move forward with the bipartisan deal, and they stopped that because of what the president-elect said, and what Elon Musk said," Jean-Pierre said.

"Republicans need to stop playing politics with a government shutdown. And they are doing the bidding of their billionaire friends at the expense of hard-working Americans," she added.

The House on Thursday night voted on an alternative package proposed by Trump, but it failed in spectacular fashion with dozens of Republicans joining nearly all Democrats in opposition. The bill, known as the American Relief Act of 2024, was rejected 174-235, far short of the two-thirds majority to pass the bill under fast-track rules that House Speaker Mike Johnson is pursuing ahead of the midnight Friday deadline.

The package included a key demand from Trump that the debt ceiling, or the amount of money the federal government is allowed to borrow, be lifted through 2027, a non-starter for many of his fellow Republicans.

"It's embarrassing. It's shameful. Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday in certain respects, but to take this bill yesterday and congratulate yourself because it is shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine," Republican Representative Chip Roy said in a fiery speech delivered on the House floor.

"And that is precisely what Republicans are doing. I am absolutely sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go forward to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible. It is absolutely ridiculous," he added.

The House is preparing to vote on Johnson's "Plan C," but details on what it would entail, including whether Johnson would continue to put a standalone bill on the House floor or break up the spending package into smaller individual bills, are still unclear.