Johnson and House Republicans introduced a streamlined bill on Thursday, but it failed in a vote that evening. It’s unclear what they will do next.
Lawmakers are not expected to vote again on Thursday. That means we’ll be voting again Friday morning, with less than 24 hours until a potential shutdown occurs.
But it’s clear that the partisan blame game is in full swing. After the bill died Thursday, Johnson told reporters it was “very disappointing” that nearly all House Democrats voted against it.
“I think it’s really irresponsible for them to risk closure because of these issues on things they’ve already agreed to,” he said.
Johnson appears likely to need support from the Democratic Party. Especially since divisions within his own party over the bill became clear this week.
But Democrats won’t help support a revised funding bill, accusing Johnson of breaking a bipartisan agreement.
“You broke a bipartisan agreement and you take responsibility for the consequences,” Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a post on X, which is owned by Musk.
And others appeared to mock Republicans who appeared to follow directions from the unelected Musk.
On the House floor Thursday, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the House’s top Democratic budget leader, called the billionaire “President Musk,” drawing laughter from fellow Democrats.
President Musk said, “Don’t do it, shut down the government.”
Still, Johnson must find a way to win over Democrats to pass a spending bill. This is especially true when pent-up anger boils over at one’s own convention.
Time is also important. These negotiations typically take several weeks.
