The CR Debacle

Republican-controlled House leadership had agreed on a stopgap measure to avert a government shutdown…until an online pressure campaign led by people like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy happened. (ABC News)

What was in the initial package: The major provisions of the 1,500 page continuing resolution focused on disaster aid, economic relief and health reform.

• Disaster funding: A total of $110 billion in disaster funding, including $29 billion in FEMA relief funding and $31 billion in economic assistance and disaster relief for farmers.

• Baltimore bridge rebuilding: The Federal government committed to covering the entire cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, with eventual reimbursement through insurance and litigation.

• Pay raises for members of Congress: Automatic cost of living adjustments for lawmakers would raise salaries, which have sat at $174,000/year since 2009.

• Health policy reform: The bill extends telehealth flexibility under Medicare, includes a five-year reauthorization for opioid crisis programs, implements measures to prevent pandemics and requires pharmacy benefit managers to disclose drug spending and pass on full rebates.

The backlash: Republicans and online commenters criticized Speaker Mike Johnson for the package’s big ticket add-ons, saying they wanted a “clean” continuing resolution free of pork and policy attachments.

• Rep. Chip Roy of Texas: "We're just fundamentally un-serious about spending. As long as you got a blank check you can't shrink government.”

• Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina: “It's the opposite of what the DOGE Commission is trying to do. So, am I voting for it? No, I'm not.”

• Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas: “Word is the CR vote will be today at 5pm, which is 1,345 minutes after the text was released. There are 1,547 pages in the bill. That's less than 1 minute per page of the CR text.”

• Elon Musk: “Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?”

Then Trump stepped in: Following the online firestorm, the president-elect released a statement opposing the current plan and suggesting his first priority is increasing the debt limit, which hasn’t been part of negotiations.

• Trump’s reasoning? Negotiating the debt limit during the Biden administration would rob Democrats of leverage once he takes office.

• In a joint statement with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, Trump said: “Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling.”

Back to the drawing board: The stopgap blowback scuttled a vote that was expected to place yesterday.

• The deadline to approve spending to avert a government shutdown is Friday.

Context: The GOP’s narrow majority in the House continues to hamstring many of the party’s efforts.

• Johnson said earlier this week the stopgap measure was initially intended to be “very simple, very clean," but a "couple of intervening things" occurred.

• Republicans will enter January with just a five-seat majority, the slimmest margin of control since the 1960s.