December 20, 2024
T-minus about nine hours till the United States government shuts down.
The House just passed the Republicans new plan to keep the government open. But here’s the thing – the bill they just passed does *not* include the one thing president-elect trump really wanted.
Because of the way House Speaker Johnson brough this bill to the floor it needed two-thirds majority. The final vote was
366 to 34.
Democrats carried this Republican bill.
196 Democrats voted yes and 170 Republicans voted yes. 34 Republicans voted no. Zero Democrats voted no. One Democrat voted present and 29 lawmakers did not vote.
Before I go any further, I have a video pinned on my page about what happens during a government shutdown, what it means for you and why we keep hearing about them over and over and over again.
Back to the issue at hand – the clock is ticking on this government shutdown. If the senate does not pass the same government funding bill the house passed by 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning – all non-essential functions of US government will not be operational. House Republicans met for hours this morning and emerged with a new plan to keep the government open. The deal House Republicans reached is actually the exact same plan that failed last night. It’s called the American Relief Act. It includes what’s known as a “clean continuing resolution.” That means it’s just a bare bones deal to keep the government open status quo until mid-march. It also includes about $100 billion for disaster aid to help the millions of Americans who were devastated by natural disasters like hurricanes Helene and Milton. And it includes about $10 billion for farmers for the next year. Fun fact – the bill also includes $50 million for Trump’s inauguration. But what’s different about what was voted on last night and what the House just passed now – is — the one thing president elect Trump wanted – was not included. The debt ceiling suspension was left out.
Now – before you start freaking out in the comments like so many of you did last night. You need to understand the facts. The bill that failed last night – basically the same one lawmakers just passed now – is not 1500 pages it’s 118 pages. And for the record – just because the page count was cut down does *not* mean it’s going to cost you the taxpayer any less. Don’t let a page count fool you. It’s also extremely important for you to know – the bill that failed last night – the same one just passed today did not…let me repeat – did not include a pay raises for lawmakers which by the way was not a 40% increase it was 3.8% and it did not include any funding for a football stadium. In fact it specifically banned the use of any federal funds for a new stadium for the Washington Commanders. What the bill did was transfer control of the land from the federal government to the District of Columbia government so they could work on a deal to keep the franchise in town but again none of that was included in the bill that failed last night. And it’s not included in what lawmakers passed right now.
Between me and you I highly suggest you be extremely careful where you get your information. There are a lot of people who financially gain by lying and misinforming you. And that’s on you to decide who is telling you the facts. I suggest a good way to tell is to look at someone’s track record. If they’re telling you all this wild stuff that never actually never happens – perhaps you should reconsider whether it’s smart for you to listen to them.
I’ll keep you posted on what the Senate does.
Read the American Relief Act here.
Look at how your lawmaker voted here.
