Just a few days before Christmas, the US is threatened with an administrative shutdown. On Thursday, a proposal presented by Republicans for a temporary budget to fund federal authorities until mid-March was rejected by a majority of representatives in the House of Representatives.
If a new deal is not reached by midnight on Friday, a so-called shutdown will occur - with mandatory unpaid leave for state workers and significant restrictions on public life.
Republicans presented the new proposal after US President-elect Donald Trump rejected an earlier bipartisan deal and demanded a renegotiation of the issue. The transition funding is needed because an agreement on a full annual budget for 2025 failed months ago.
"Everything I just told you was negotiated in a bipartisan way. Both sides agreed to these terms. And that's what's on the table now. The only change in this legislation is that we're going to push the debt limit up to 30 January of 2027. We will push it until then and that will allow us to do the important work of governing in the new Congress," said Mike Johnson.
On the one hand, the new proposal would have fixed the financing of federal authorities, but on the other hand, as Trump later pointed out, the suspension of the debt ceiling would have been extended for two years, that is, for the first two years of his mandate the second in office, which begins in January.
Congress has repeatedly approved such an extension in recent years so that the US government can meet its obligations. However, this was not part of the current budget negotiations, so Trump's request came as a surprise to lawmakers. A debt ceiling suspension is usually preceded by lengthy negotiations.
In order for the budget legislation to be approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Republicans also need the votes of the Democrats. Trump hailed the new proposal as a "very good deal for the American people," while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries immediately dismissed it as "ridiculous" and "not serious." Meanwhile, the White House spoke of a "gift for billionaires". (A2 Televizion)
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