(NewsNation) — Hours before the start of a federal government shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump doubled down Friday on his insistence a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal — and if not, let the closures “start now.”
“If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now,” Trump posted on social media.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., is racing behind closed doors to prevent a shutdown, but his influence has its limits. Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk unleashed their opposition — and social media army — on the first plan Johnson presented, which was a 1,500-page bipartisan compromise he struck with Democrats that included $100 billion in disaster aid for hard-hit states but did not address the debt ceiling situation.
“Objectively, the vast majority of Republican House members voted for the spending bill, but only 2 Democrats did. Therefore, if the government shuts down, it is obviously the fault of
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and the Democratic Party,” Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“That is why our country is on the brink of a government shutdown that will crash the economy, hurt working class Americans and likely be the longest in history.”
“Welcome back to the MAGA swamp,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries posted.
Jeffries was communicating with Johnson on the path forward, according to multiple people in a closed-door Democratic Caucus meeting. But there was no discussion in the meeting on whether a deal is being discussed or the details of legislation.
Government workers have already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown, which would send millions of employees — and members of the military — into the holiday season without paychecks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
