Washington—President-elect Donald Trump House Republicans approved a deal Thursday to fund the government for three months and avert a government shutdown that began late Friday night.
“Washington succeeds!” Trump announced Thursday afternoon as negotiations wrapped up in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office in the Capitol.
“The newly agreed upon American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the government open, provide funding for our great farmers and others, and provide relief to those severely impacted by devastating hurricanes,” Trump wrote.
“The highly unnecessary debt ceiling date will be pushed back two years to January 30, 2027,” he added. “All Republicans, and even Democrats, should do what’s best for our country, and tonight Vote “YES” to this bill!”
As of 4:00 p.m., Democrats had not yet endorsed the deal, with a last-minute caucus expected. Republicans are aiming for a vote in the full House session sometime Thursday night.
The deal consists of several parts. The first is a three-month extension of current government spending levels, known as a continuing resolution (CR). Democrats’ main demands also include an increase of $110 billion in disaster and farm aid.
Crucially, the deal also suspends the U.S. debt ceiling for two years, a remarkable late addition to the financing bill. Debt ceiling increases typically take months to finalize, but Trump said on Wednesday he did not want to take office and must face a vote to raise the U.S. debt limit immediately.
The agreement capped a chaotic day of negotiations and noise on Capitol Hill as Republicans struggled to salvage a massive, carefully negotiated spending package so it could pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-controlled Senate.
But the deal collapsed after harsh criticism from Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
—NBC News’ Katherine Doyle contributed reporting
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