New spending bill to avert shutdown fails despite Trump and Musk's MAGA seal of approval

An 11th-hour spending bill that would avert a holiday shutdown of the federal government failed to pass Thursday evening, a day before the current funding bill is set to expire.

The GOP, which needed 290 "yes" votes to pass the bill, secured just 174, according to a live tally. Thirty-eight Republicans voted against funding the deal.

President-elect Donald Trump and close ally Elon Musk on Wednesday helped kill House Republicans' first attempt at a funding bill, which would've funded the government through mid-March. Trump, Musk and other MAGA allies scorched the deal and laid the blame squarely at House Speaker Mike Johnson's feet.

After a day of negotiations, the GOP unveiled a new bill, touted by Trump as a "success!" The announcement came ahead of the expiration of the current spending bill, slated for midnight Friday.

"Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People. The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes," wrote Trump on Truth Social.

He specifically boasted of what he called a "VERY important piece" — the addition of punting the debt ceiling to Jan. 30, 2027.

"Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish," he said.

The new bill left House Republicans scrambling, with reporters unsure about whether the bill would pass even within an hour of a scheduled vote on it. The new measure funds the government for three months and calls for roughly $110 billion in disaster relief.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has predicted that as many as 30 Republicans in his chamber would not vote to eliminate the debt ceiling.