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Congress passes slimmed-down funding bill – a VICTORY for Trump and Musk

By bellecarter // 2024-12-23

• The U.S. Congress passed a pared-down funding bill to keep the government running until March 2025, reducing it from 1,547 to 118 pages at the urging of President-elect Trump and Elon Musk.
• The bill passed with narrow margins, receiving 85 votes in the Senate and 366 in the House of Representatives, with 34 representatives voting against it.
• Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated the bill as a "necessary step" leading to a unified Republican government, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries saw it as a "pivot point" for cooperation.
• The bill removed controversial provisions, such as a four percent raise for members of Congress and potential State Department censorship, but did not abolish the federal debt ceiling as Trump had requested.
• The political landscape remains complex, with potential future debates over the debt ceiling and a continued push for a smaller, leaner government by Trump, Musk and their allies.

The U.S. Congress managed to thread the needle on a pared-down funding bill that will keep the government running until March 2025. The original bloated spending package, which stretched an eye-watering 1,547 pages, was slashed down to just 118 pages after President-elect Donald Trump and his tech visionary colleague Elon Musk called for reform. (Related: DOGE faces monumental task as U.S. budget deficit SOARS TO RECORD HIGH going into 2025.) At midnight on Friday, Dec. 20, the Senate narrowly passed the bill, with only 85 out of 100 senators voting in favor. This was followed by a resounding 366-34 vote in the House of Representatives, with 34 fiscal hawks showing their disapproval. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) celebrated the victory, hailing it as a "necessary step to bridge the gap" ahead of Trump's return to the White House next month. "This is America First legislation because it allows us to be set up to deliver for the American people," he declared, pointing to the upcoming "sea change" in Washington under a unified Republican government. But the story doesn't end with joyous bipartisan celebration. The original behemoth bill was a behemoth for a reason: it was stuffed with everything from online censorship initiatives to distributing millions to inspect molasses at U.S. ports. Trump and Musk, ever the champions of efficiency, were quick to push back. "We did what was necessary to get down to the bare essentials," Musk tweeted, adding that the ball was now in the Democrats' court. The compromise bill also managed to excise some of the more eyebrow-raising provisions, like a four percent raise for members of Congress and the potential censorship arm at the Department of State. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the House Minority Leader, called the final bill"a "pivot point," marking a new era of cooperation. However, Jeffries also made it clear that the Democratic Party would not be cowed. "We wanted to make sure that the federal debt ceiling remained intact," he said, pointing out that it was a critical part of preventing future crises.

Abolishing debt ceiling was not included in the final draft

While the bill succeeded in passing, it's clear that the battle lines are far from settled. Trump's request to abolish the federal debt ceiling was notably absent from the final package, despite his impassioned calls for its removal. "Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous debt ceiling," Trump railed on Truth Social, adding that the pressure was squarely on whoever would be president. Meanwhile, sources familiar with the negotiations claim that House GOP leadership has agreed to raise the debt limit in the next Congress by $1.5 trillion via budget reconciliation. This move would bypass the usual 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate, signaling the Republican Party's continued commitment to fiscal restraint. As the dust settles, it's clear that the new political landscape will be defined by a complex dance between the White House, Congress and other advocates like Musk. The coming weeks and months will likely see more of the same drama, as Trump, Musk and their allies continue to push for a smaller, leaner and more efficient government. As the bill heads to outgoing President Joe Biden's desk for signing, one thing is certain: the political waters are roiling, and the question of who will come out on top in this new era of governance remains as murky as ever. Trump.news has more stories about Trump's incoming spending policies. Watch the video below where Sen. Tommy Tuberville says "MAGA has taken over" in relation to the House passing the trimmed-down spending bill. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Elon Musk Donald Trump congress GOP Republicans politics democrats debt collapse national debt debt ceiling big government budget money supply Joe Biden America first government debt debt bomb Mike Johnson spending package Hakeem Jeffries