Hours before the deadline that would lead to a partial government shutdown looms, President-elect Donald Trump on Friday insisted on his demand to raise the debt ceiling as part of a budget deal. If this does not happen, he warned, "let the closure begin now".
Mr Trump, who takes office on January 20, 2025, made his stance public as House Speaker Mike Johnson held talks in the Capitol with some of the most conservative Republicans who influenced the failure of the Trump-backed bill. .
Deadlines for closing government agencies are getting tighter as midnight on Friday approaches.
"If there is going to be a government shutdown, let it start now," Mr. Trump wrote on social media.
Mr. Trump himself caused the longest government shutdown in history during his first term in the White House, when the government was partially shut down for a month starting around the end of December 2018, until around mid-January 2019.
The president-elect's main demand is to raise the debt ceiling before he officially takes office.
The federal debt limit expires on Jan. 1, and Mr. Trump does not want the first months of his new administration to be burdened with tough negotiations in Congress over the nation's borrowing capacity.
This situation gives Democrats, who will be in the minority in Congress next year, an advantage.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is fighting time behind closed doors to prevent a government shutdown, but his influence is limited.
Mr. Trump and his ally, billionaire Elon Musk, opposed the first plan presented by Mr. Johnson, the fruit of a bipartisan compromise, which included, among other things, $100 billion in aid for states hit hard by natural disasters. The bipartisan bill did not address the issue of the debt ceiling.
After pressure from the president-elect, Mr. Johnson negotiated a new legal package that was supported by Mr. Trump.
But the new bill, which also included raising the debt ceiling until 2027, failed in Congress. Thirty-eight hardline Republicans voted against him, including all but three Democrats.
On Friday morning, Vice President-elect JD Vance went to the Speaker of the House's office in the Capitol, where a group of hardline Republicans were meeting with Mr. Johnson. The latter insisted on finding a solution to the situation.
Government employees have been told to prepare for a partial government shutdown.
"Welcome back to the MAGA swamp," House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a social media post today.
"That's why our country is on the brink of a government shutdown that will hurt the economy, hurt working-class Americans, and likely be the longest shutdown in the country's history."
In the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats for several more weeks, talks are underway to push for a deal on the original package, the fruit of a compromise between Mr Johnson, Mr Jeffries and the Senate leader negotiated earlier this week. . Such a thing would be difficult, but not impossible.
Senate Majority Leader Democrat Chuck Schumer called the original deal "the fastest, simplest and easiest way to make sure the government stays open and provides vital and urgent assistance to the American people," as he said.
President Joe Biden, who is in his final weeks in office, has not spoken on the issue, prompting criticism from Mr. Trump and Republicans, who are trying to blame him for a potential shutdown. to the government.
Mr. Johnson faces a difficult task, he is not only aiming to avoid a government shutdown, but also to save his job.
The election of the speaker of the House of Representatives is the first vote in the new Congress, which convenes on January 3, and Mr. Johnson will need the support of almost every Republican to keep the job. Democrats will vote for Mr. Jeffries. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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