The Republican-controlled House passed a shaved down bill 366-34 on Friday to avoid a government shutdown by midnight—marking a key (if temporary) win for Speaker Mike Johnson, Democrats, and Elon Musk, but not for President-elect Donald Trump.
The legislation, which will temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid until March 14, 2025, left out Trump’s wish for a debt limit increase.
Now as the bill heads to the Senate for approval, Republicans could face Trump’s ire when he takes office—because he didn’t get what he wanted for Christmas.
Scrutiny around Johnson’s ability to be a successful speaker was raised Thursday as the Trump-backed version of the bill failed to launch in the House. Yet Johnson seemed in good spirits as the legislation passed and addressed the media immediately afterward.
“This is a good outcome,” Johnson told reporters Friday after the third and final version of a temporary funding bill passed. He added that he was in “constant contact with President Trump” throughout negotiations. “I think [Trump] certainly is happy about this outcome as well,” he said.
Speaker Johnson also said he checked in with Elon Musk, who used X to rally MAGA followers into supporting a government shutdown with false and neglectful information, claiming in one post that the bill included a “40% pay increase for Congress.”
“We talked about the extraordinary challenges of this job,” Johnson said, lightening the mood with a joke: “I said, ‘You want to be speaker of the House?’ I don’t know… it’s the hardest job in the world.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that it was actually the House Democrats who “successfully funded the government” in a “victory for the American people.”
“House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working-class Americans all across the land,” he added.
With the clock ticking down to the Saturday deadline, the Senate is expected to pass the bill Friday and send it to President Biden for signing.
Johnson said it’s all up to the Senate now. “We encourage a swift passage in the Senate now. They need to do their job,” he said.
