Everyone knew that the president-elect and his new friend were going to cause havoc in Washington, but no one thought they would succeed even before the Republican was sworn in, said a CNN report.
The bipartisan agreement that the leaders of Congress had initially reached to avoid the drama was flatly rejected by Musk and Trump, in that order, and there are comments circulating that the richest man in the world quickly put his power to the test and that he seemed like “a president-elect.”
The truth is that a plan B approved by Trump was rejected last night and the president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, talks about a plan C being voted on Friday morning, although the Republicans warned there is still no agreement.
“Yes, yes, we have a plan,” Johnson said upon entering the Capitol. “We expect the votes this morning, so stay tuned. We have a plan,” the speaker said without specifying what it consists of.
It is not clear whether Johnson’s plan will appease Trump and his demand to raise the debt ceiling as part of the Continuing Resolution (a stopgap measure that ensures the government continues to function), given the opposition of hardline conservative Republicans to raising the debt limit, The Hill reported.
Friday’s vote will be the House’s last effort to fund the government before the partial shutdown deadline and will occur after the failed vote on Johnson’s aforementioned Plan B.
The legislative project combined a three-month extension of government funding with $110 billion in agricultural and disaster aid, some other political measures and a two-year suspension of the debt limit, the latter a last-minute demand by Trump.
The proposal’s failure dealt a blow to Johnson and Trump, who backed the package, and raised early potential storms ahead.
Aside from the debt limit increase, the Plan B proposal was a stripped-down version of an initial funding deal Johnson negotiated with Democrats and unveiled earlier in the week.
That initial bill included measures like a health care deal and a pay raise for members of Congress, prompting backlash from Trump and Musk, who scuttled the package.
Incidentally, Trump will have to provide a measure of governability when he enters the White House if he wants to enact his ambitious plans on immigration and taxes, which will be a challenge if Musk is constantly on the lookout to shoot it all down, observers warn.
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