Summary

  • Republicans are considering splitting a new bill into different parts for multiple votes, as they race to reach an agreement that would avoid a government shutdown

  • The split bills would reportedly include one on extending government funding into March; another on hurricane disaster relief aid; and another on an extension of agriculture industry support

  • The latest reports contain one conspicuous omission - the raising of the debt limit, which President-elect Donald Trump called an essential part of a bill just last night

  • Republicans convened to discuss the potential deal at 12:30 local time (17:30 GMT)

  • Friday's political wrangling comes after the House voted Thursday night against a Donald Trump-backed funding measure, which needed a two-thirds majority to pass

  • Congress had come to a cross-party agreement, but Trump and billionaire Elon Musk pressured Republicans to reject the deal and create a new one

  • Many fear the dispute could lead to a government shutdown before the holidays, leading to closures and limits on services starting on Saturday

  1. Final vote tally shows 38 Republicans opposed the billpublished at 00:04 Greenwich Mean Time

    The final vote for the Republican spending bill was 174 to 235 with 1 lawmaker voting present. It failed to pass even a majority vote, but the bill required a two-thirds super majority.

    At least 38 House Republicans joined Democrats in tanking the bill.

  2. Lawmakers fail to pass bill that would avert government shutdownpublished at 23:58 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December
    Breaking

    Lawmakers vote on the House floorImage source, Reuters

    House Republicans have failed in their efforts to pass a new short-term spending bill. The bill would have averted a US government shutdown that is set to happen early Saturday morning.

    The bill needed a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives to pass. It failed to reach that requirement.

    Stick with us, we'll bring you more details shortly.

  3. How will we know if the bill passes?published at 23:54 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    To remind you, this spending bill needs a two-thirds majority to pass the House.

    The so-called supermajority will be very difficult to achieve, given that it will require lawmakers from both parties to pass.

    This means the bill will require 290 out of 435 votes to pass.

  4. Two Democrats vote to support spending billpublished at 23:50 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    Lawmakers stand around in the House of Representatives while voting happensImage source, Reuters

    At least two Democrats have voted, so far, to support the bill.

    Voting is still going on, but it doesn't appear the spending deal will pass the House as it requires a two-third majority.

    The current tally is 167 to 229.

    At least 33 Republicans, so far, have voted against it.

    It is also possible that some lawmakers could change their vote before the gavel is struck and voting ends.

    Watch the latest on the House floor by clicking watch live at the top of this page.

  5. 31 Republicans have voted against measure so farpublished at 23:47 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    So far, 31 House Republicans have voted against this new spending bill.

    The current tally is 145 in support and 214 against it. The bill needs a two-thirds margin of the 435 members in the House to pass the chamber.

  6. Voting continues as 15 Republicans are opposedpublished at 23:40 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    Members of the House are still voting on the short-term government funding bill - but its odds of passing are slipping quickly.

    The current tally is 91 in support of the bill to 149 opposed.

    Democrats have so far voted in unison against the bill. That isn't the case for Republicans. So far, 15 Republicans have voted against the measure.

    And a reminder that you can click watch live at the top of this page to follow the voting from inside the House of Representatives.

  7. Votes coming in fast with all Democrats in oppositionpublished at 23:34 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    Members of the House are voting for the short-term funding bill.

    Votes are coming in fast.

    The current vote is 49 yea to 101 nay.

    So far, five Republicans have voted against the measure, joining all Democrats.

  8. WATCH LIVE: Voting begins for spending billpublished at 23:31 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    And here we go, the members of the House of Representatives are about to vote on a proposed spending bill.

    You can watch the voting live at the top of this page.

    And we'll bring you text updates on the vote tally as it happens.

  9. White House says Republicans are doing bidding of billionaire benefactorspublished at 23:30 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    With lawmakers fiercely debating on the floor of the House, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has just sent a statement to the media calling the spending bill a "billionaire giveaway".

    "Republicans are doing the bidding of their billionaire benefactors at the expense of hardworking Americans. Republicans are breaking their word to support a bipartisan agreement that would lower prescription drug costs and make it harder to offshore jobs to China—and instead putting forward a bill that paves the way for tax breaks for billionaires while cutting critical programs working families count on, from Social Security to Head Start," Jean-Pierre says.

    "President Biden supports the bipartisan agreement to keep the government open, help communities recovering from disasters, and lower costs—not this giveaway for billionaires that Republicans are proposing at the 11th hour," she adds.

  10. Voting will start soonpublished at 23:28 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    Closing arguments are wrapping up on the House floor with the chamber's two top appropriators closing out speeches about the funding bill.

    Soon, lawmakers will cast their votes on the bill, which to remind you, is known as a "continuing resolution".

    You can watch as the House votes at the top of this page by clicking watch live.

  11. Republican denounces 'sickening' actions of his own partypublished at 23:25 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    An infuriated Republican Texas Congressman Chip Roy has just taken to the House floor to denounce his own party for actions that he says will increase the national US debt.

    "It's embarrassing. It's shameful," he yells.

    He calls the new bill "better than yesterday", but only marginally.

    "But to take this bill yesterday, and congratulate yourself because its shorter in pages, but increases the debt by $5 million, is asinine," he says.

    "And that is what Republicans are doing."

    He goes on to call Republicans' actions in the last 24 hours "sickening" and "absolutely ridiculous".

  12. Democrats and Republicans bicker over who will be blamed for possible shutdownpublished at 23:24 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    "Denial is not just a river in Egypt," says Florida Democrat Jared Moskowitz, using an old joke.

    He denies that Democrats deserve any blame for tanking the budget deal, which will risk a government shut down.

    He references Trump's win last month, saying, "I've been hearing all this stuff about a mandate."

    "We're only here because you guys haven't decided amongst yourselves," he says to Republicans.

    "Put on your big boy pants a pass a bill."

    Watch the ongoing congressional debate over the bill at the top of this page by clicking watch live.

  13. Another House Republican opposes spending dealpublished at 23:21 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    Virginia Republican Rep Bob Good has come out against the latest Republican budget deal - a poor sign for the bill's prospects of passing in the House tonight.

    "The bad spending package just got worse, and it now includes an inexcusable unlimited 2-year debt ceiling increase with no spending cuts!!!" he posted on X about an hour ago.

    Good is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and serves on the Budget Committee and the Education and Labor Committee.

  14. 'What happens the next time there's a tweet?' - Democratic lawmakerpublished at 23:13 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    Massachusetts Rep Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, is speaking on the House floor and says Republicans have broken their word.

    He says Congress worked hard to get an agreement before Trump's interruption.

    "A tweet changed all of it?" he said.

    He asks if the next four years will be the same.

    "What happens the next time congress works its will and then there's a tweet?"

    "What about your word, going forward here?" he asks Republicans.

    Reminder: You can watch the ongoing debate over the bill by clicking the watch live button at the top of this page.

  15. Tight margins in Congress mean the drama is just beginningpublished at 23:03 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    Mike Wendling
    US digital reporter

    When it comes to passing this deal, it’s a numbers game, and the numbers are very tight.

    Currently, Republicans have a 219-211 edge in the House. This bill needs a two-thirds majority to pass, so Republicans will need help from Democrats.

    But House Democrats have made clear they aren't in support of the deal.

    If it does pass the House, it will then head to the Senate, where Democrats and their independent allies hold a 51-49 advantage.

    Needing near a unison vote while also appealing to Democrats could be difficult for House Speaker Mike Johnson. Already some of his House Republicans have voiced concern or opposition.

    Texas Republican Chip Roy, a member of the House, has already tweeted that he is a “HARD NO”– he objects to raising the debt ceiling. As we've reported, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is also sceptical. And we're seeing reports that others share those views.

    The big question is whether there will be further dissent or whether most Republicans will fall in line behind the Trump-backed proposal. It doesn’t appear that they will get much help from Democrats; the party’s leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, told reporters the plan is “laughable”.

    Despite Republicans winning both chambers of Congress in November’s elections, power has not shifted their way until new members are sworn into office in early January.

    The new Congress might not make things much easier for Republicans, as their House majority will shrink to just five seats. The political wrangling we’re watching right now might just be a small taste of things to come.

  16. House Democratic leader says Democrats will vote against dealpublished at 22:55 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    The Democratic leader of the House of Representatives is now speaking to his fellow lawmakers, sharply criticising the new agreement and saying Democrats plan to vote against it.

    Hakeem Jeffries says that there was broad agreement across both parties over the previous budget deal, which was tanked after criticism by Donald Trump and Elon Musk yesterday.

    “House Republicans have abandoned that bipartisan agreement that we entered into in good faith,” he says.

    Jeffries goes on to allege that the new deal – and particularly the suspension of the country’s debt ceiling – is clearing the decks for a large tax cut for the rich once Republicans have control of Congress and the White House next year.

    “One or two puppet masters weigh in and the extreme Maga Republicans decide to do the bidding of the wealthy,” he says.

    Earlier, Jeffries spoke with media in the halls of the Capitol. He called the Republican proposal "laughable". You can watch that moment in the video below:

    Media caption,

    Top US House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries calls Republican proposal 'laughable'

  17. Watch live: Lawmakers debate government fundingpublished at 22:45 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    We're expecting a vote in the US House of Representatives in the next half hour or so. But before that happens, members of the House are debating the merits of the bill that would avoid a government shut down.

    You can follow along by clicking the watch live button at the top of this page.

  18. What are the next steps?published at 22:38 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    The House is planning to vote on the revamped spending bill this evening - around 6:30 pm ET (11:30 pm GMT)

    It needs a two-thirds majority to pass out of the lower chamber.

    All eyes will be on Democrats to see how they vote. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson needs their support for it to pass since conservatives hold a slim majority in the chamber.

    Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries voiced his opposition of the deal to reporters Thursday evening, calling the bill "laughable". He had previously indicated there would be little to no help if Johnson broke their bipartisan agreement.

    If the revamped bill clears the House, it will need to pass in the Senate before heading to President Joe Biden's desk to sign into law.

    It's important to note Democrats still hold the majority in the upper chamber.

  19. Trump, Musk tanked first version of spending planpublished at 22:19 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    Rachel Looker
    Reporting from Washington

    The opposition to the first version of House Speaker Mike Johnson's spending deal became evident within 24 hours of its release.

    It was a bi-partisan deal with members of both political parties agreeing to pass it before the government is set to shut down on Saturday morning.

    Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who Trump has tasked with cutting government spending in his future administration by co-heading the Department of Government Efficiency, heavily criticised the deal in dozens of posts on X, which he owns.

    Trump and Vance dealt the final blow to Johnson's deal on Wednesday night.

    The president and vice-president said in a statement they want streamlined legislation that does not include Democratic-backed provisions that Johnson negotiated with his colleagues across the aisle.

    Democrats will be key to passing any legislation as they control the Senate.

    They also called for Congress to raise or eliminate the debt ceiling, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills, and to focus the legislation on temporary spending and disaster relief.

  20. Marjorie Taylor Greene: 'Do we get to read it first?'published at 21:56 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December

    Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene answers questions from reporters hold microphones as she stands outside with Rep. Chip Roy.Image source, Getty Images

    Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia took to X after the announcement about a deal.

    She criticised the lack of information about the bill's specifics from congressional leaders and the rush to bring it to the floor on Thursday night, just hours after its release.

    "A vote tonight on a new gov funding bill? Do we get to read it first?" she wrote. "Do the American people get to read it? Or do we pass it first to see what’s in it and how much it cost the American people?"

    She added that reporters on Capitol Hill seem to know more about the developing situation than current lawmakers.