What happened to the interim spending bill: A Hitchhiker's Guide

The 1,547-page interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown has been effectively killed by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) after President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect Vance, and Elon Musk rejected the plan to fund the government through March 14.

If House Republicans had the necessary votes to pass the bill without relying heavily on Democrats, they may have been able to do so before the intervention of Trump and Vance. However, there was too much grassroots pressure, which was ignited by Musk on X and other platforms.

Despite its festive appearance, the stopgap spending package was met with opposition due to its large size. Conservatives had hoped Johnson would handle the spending plan differently this holiday season, but their expectations were not met. The result was a failure.

The President-elect, Mr. Trump, did not comment on the issue until the last minute and also requested a debt ceiling increase. This posed a challenge in the first quarter of the year and could have negatively impacted the markets and any legislative plans.

Johnson's decision to deviate from his planned course, despite passionately supporting the bill on Fox this morning, highlights several points.

Johnson may face challenges if President-elect Trump's decisions affect his role.

Why did Johnson pull the bill?

Although it was initially unpopular among his followers, the situation worsened when Musk and the President-elect became involved.

Johnson's decision to withdraw the bill was primarily driven by the January 3 vote of the Speaker. With 434 members in the new Congress, he needed 218 votes to become Speaker. The House had to vote multiple times, as they did in January 2023, before electing Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker five days later, marking the longest Speaker's race since the 1850s.

Johnson attempted to save himself in the Speaker's vote by including emergency agriculture spending in the bill. However, Johnson is now trying to save himself by introducing a new bill.

Despite Johnson's efforts to avoid drama before Christmas with a spending package, the situation quickly escalated into a Congressional holiday standoff, reminiscent of the fiscal cliff in 2012 or a government shutdown threat in 2014.

What does Johnson call his next play?

Is the bill that funds the government just a renewal of current funding with disaster aid attached? Is a debt ceiling suspension attached as requested by President-elect Trump?

Can anything pass without votes from the Democrats?

Johnson has a group of conservatives who refuse to vote for any CR or debt ceiling increase.

If a new bill is introduced, do conservatives always insist on waiting three days before taking action, which can lead to a government shutdown?

The deadline is 11:59:59 pm ET on Friday.

This task will necessitate someone to perform a magic trick and pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Trump's move today echoes a similar action he took in December 2019, resulting in the longest government shutdown.

Mitch McConnell, Richard Shelby, and others believed they had reached an agreement to finance the government and prevent a Christmas shutdown.

During the vote, the Senate passed the bill while some senators sang Christmas carols in the back of the chamber.

The government shut down for more than a month after Mr. Trump balked at the last minute and House Republicans followed suit.