Evening Report — Down to the wire: Shutdown threat looms

View Online Evening Report Friday, Dec. 20 ©  Greg Nash Johnson under fire as House nears vote to avert government shutdown THE HOUSE WILL VOTE FRIDAY EVENING on a bill to fund the government at current levels until March 14, a last-gasp effort by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to avoid a government shutdown.   Johnson spent the day strategizing a way forward after his previous funding bill went down in flames, with 38 Republicans voting against it despite President-elect Trump's endorsement.   The new bill is almost exactly the same, although it will not include a debt limit hike that Trump demanded be included. Instead, Republicans plan to raise the debt ceiling next year through a reconciliation package that will include spending cuts.   "We will not have a government shutdown," Johnson said. "And we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for the disaster victims all over the country, and for making sure that military and essential services and everyone who relies upon the federal government for a paycheck gets paid over the holidays."   Congress has until midnight to pass a funding bill to avoid a shutdown.   Either way, Johnson has suffered immense political damage and faces questions about his future as House GOP leader. Republicans will hold a Speakership election Jan. 3 when the new Congress is sworn in.   "I don't know what's going on & really that's part of problem… Zero communication from leadership to the membership," said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.). "Something should change before January 3."   Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) told Fox Business's Maria Bartiromo:   "It's an example of failure of leadership of Speaker Johnson. Speaker Johnson dragged President Trump into this circus."   Johnson negotiated a 1,500-page spending deal with Democrats that would keep the government funded until March 14. That bill was set for passage this week before Elon Musk went ballistic on social platform X, pointing out some real extraneous spending, as well as some misinformation, about what was in the bill.   Trump later came out against the bill, sending Johnson back to the drawing board against a tight deadline.   The new pared-back version of the bill rings in at a modest 160 pages.   Still, a shutdown remains a possibility. There are no guarantees that this new bill will pass the House, much less the Democratic-controlled Senate. ANGER AT MUSK There is deep frustration and growing anger on Capitol Hill with Musk for interfering and sending the federal government to the brink of a shutdown.   Musk has used X to threaten primary challenges against lawmakers that disagree with him. And he's flooded the site with scaremongering misinformation about the spending deal he torpedoed.   For instance, Musk claimed that Congress was preparing to give itself a 40 percent raise, when in fact the most allowable was 3.8 percent. He also claimed the bill would prevent any investigation into the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, even though bill makes no mention of this.   Some Republicans are biting back.   "Last time I checked, Elon Musk doesn't have a vote in Congress," Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) told CNN. "Now, he has influence, and he'll put pressure on us to do whatever he thinks the right thing is for him. But I have 760,000 people that voted for me to do the right thing for them. And that's what matters to me."   Democrats were unsparing in their criticism, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Calif.) calling Musk a "billionaire man-child."   "Can you image what the next two years are going to be like if every time that Congress works its will and then there's a tweet?," said Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.). "Or from an individual who has no official portfolio, who threatens members on the Republican side with a primary and they succumb?"   Musk fired back at Neal, saying he's "going to be funding moderate candidates in heavily Democrat districts, so that the country can get rid of those who don't represent them, like this jackass." WASHINGTON BRACES FOR SHUTDOWN Here's what a partial government shutdown might look like: • Government operations that are deemed nonessential would be put on ice, with tens of thousands of federal employees furloughed or seeing their hours reduced.   • Some will continue working without pay, but they'll be made whole when the government reopens. Members of the military are among those who will not receive their paychecks   • All national parks and monuments would be closed, and Internal Revenue Service audits would be paused.   • The shutdown wouldn't impact key national security agencies, such as the FBI, Border Patrol and Coast Guard, although civilian employees within the Department of Defense won't be clocking in.   • Transportation Security Administration officers will still be patrolling airports, although they're warning of delays.   • The Federal Emergency Management Agency's short-term disaster response will still operate, although there could be implications for their long-term efforts.   • The mail will still be delivered and those receiving Social Security and Medicare won't see an interruption. 💡Perspectives: • BIG: Cutting Government is easy if you go after McKinsey. • CNN: Trump and Musk unleash a new kind of chaos on Washington. • New York Post: GOP's budget revolt a hopeful sign of fiscal sanity. • USA Today: Trump wants the clout – and the chaos. • The Wall Street Journal: How to avoid the coming federal debt avalanche. Read more:  • 5 things to know about Trump's call to scrap debt ceiling. • Musk floods X with spending bill misinformation. • Vance flexes his influence during spending fight. • Senate Republicans fume over 'fiasco' in House. • What a government shutdown might mean. Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. CATCH UP QUICK The Food and Drug Administration updated the definition of "healthy" on food labels for the first time in 30 years. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he's open to meeting with President-elect Trump about striking a compromise to end the war with Ukraine. A new survey from Gallup finds Americans want a quick end to that war. The entertainment and media industry suffered a major blow in 2024 with 15,000 job cuts.  NEWS THIS AFTERNOON ©  Greg Nash Biden absent from spending fight President Biden returned to the White House from a vacation in Delaware late last night, although Americans have not heard from him about the impending government shutdown.   White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre faced repeated questions from reporters Friday about why Biden had not publicly addressed the issue and is instead allowing President-elect Trump and his allies to control the process.   Jean-Pierre said Biden spoke privately with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), but there are no plans for Biden to address the nation or intervene in the negotiations.   "Republicans in Congress needs to fix this. Speaker Johnson needs to fix this. It is their mess to fix," Jean-Pierre said.   The news media has become increasingly aggressive covering Biden's decline and how his inner circle protected him from scrutiny.   Both The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal had eye-opening stories this week with alarming details.   The Wall Street Journal reports:   "To adapt the White House around the needs of a diminished leader, they told visitors to keep meetings focused. Interactions with senior Democratic lawmakers and some cabinet members—including powerful secretaries such as Defense's Lloyd Austin and Treasury's Janet Yellen—were infrequent or grew less frequent. Some legislative leaders had a hard time getting the president's ear at key moments, including ahead of the U.S.'s disastrous pullout from Afghanistan."   Biden will travel to Italy in mid-January for meetings with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.   It's likely Biden's final foreign trip as president, with Trump being sworn in on Jan. 20.   Biden said he'd attend Trump's inauguration. MEANWHILE ... The Biden administration is busy working to address some of their priorities for their final days in office:   • The White House and Education Department announced Friday they'd wipe out student debt for 55,000 public service workers, including teachers and law enforcement officials.   • A top U.S. diplomat is traveling to Damascus to engage with the transitional government in Syria. The U.S. conceded Friday that it has twice the number of troops in Syria than was previously known.   • Israel and Hamas appear close to a cease-fire deal, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying the "pressure is on Hamas" to move forward. 💡Perspectives: • The Nation: Joe Biden's bodyguard of liars betrayed American democracy. • Newsweek: The Democrats' path back to power. • The Washington Examiner: Democrats turn left again. • The Hill: Biden is one of our greatest presidents. • The Hill: Biden's reign of error. ON TAP Here's who's talking on Sunday...   NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday": Reps. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) and Tom McClintock (R-Calif.).   CNN's "State of the Union": Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.).   NBC's "Meet the Press": Sens. Raphael Warnock (R-Ga.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.)   FOX's "Fox News Sunday": Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) IN OTHER NEWS ©  Adobe Washington Roundup: FAA bans drones in parts of N.Y. • The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will temporarily ban drones over New York's "critical infrastructure sites," as lawmakers respond to the proliferation of drone sightings that have baffled and frightened the public.   The FAA took the same action a day earlier in New Jersey, which as been a hot-spot for mass drone sightings.   Government officials insist there is no danger and nothing to fear.   "This action is purely precautionary; there are no threats to these sites," said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).   Still, skepticism abounds, even among elected leaders, who don't believe the federal government's response has been adequate or transparent.   "The fact that they are taking action is a first step," Belleville, N.J. mayor Michael Melham said on "Elizabeth Vargas Reports." "However, this new action only takes place for 22 areas here in New Jersey, and Belleville is not one of them."   • President-elect Trump threatened new tariffs against the European Union unless they purchases large quantities of American oil and gas to make up for a growing deficit with the U.S. Trump's threats have already roiled U.S. relations with Canada, which sends a majority of its crude to the U.S.   • Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's (D) disqualification from the election interference case against Trump could bring an end to the prosecution. The charges haven't been formally dismissed, but it's a massive setback for the prosecution as Trump prepares to take office. 💡Perspectives: • The Wall Street Journal: Lawfare bites Fani Willis Back. • The Hill: Raising tariffs won't fix the trade deficit. Stay Engaged Did I miss a story? Drop me a line. Follow TheHill.com for the latest and recommend us to others: TheHill.com/Evening. See you next time. 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