The United States government is just one day away from potentially running out of money as Congress works to devise a short-term funding plan. The House of Representatives last night failed to pass a revised spending plan proposed by Republicans to prevent a government shutdown.

Two sources familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital that the deal under consideration would involve a short-term extension of this year’s federal funding levels, disaster relief funding, and support for farmers — but through three separate bills.

The new strategy comes after President Donald Trump and his allies rejected initial plans by congressional lawmakers to avoid a partial government shutdown ahead of the holidays.

Trump called on Republicans to incorporate debt ceiling resolution into their negotiations to prevent a government shutdown, a demand that has sparked dissatisfaction among dozens of conservative members of the Republican Party over concerns about the national debt, which has surpassed $36 trillion.

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to follow Trump’s guidelines failed Thursday night after 38 Republicans voted alongside all Democrats except two to reject the bill.

Trump, along with Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, led the opposition to the original bipartisan deal proposed by congressional leaders, even threatening to remove lawmakers who supported it from office.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the highest-ranking Democrat in the House, called the proposal “laughable.” The House Speaker now needs to come up with a new proposal, and the clock is ticking, writes the BBC.

The looming government shutdown can be traced back to September, when Johnson failed to pass a proposal to extend funding for six months. Democrats overwhelmingly voted against the extension, which included a measure (SAVE Act) requiring proof of citizenship for voting in elections.

Instead, Congress reached a bipartisan agreement on legislation to fund the government through December 20. Johnson promised at a press conference that in December, when funding runs out, lawmakers won’t have to vote on an omnibus spending bill.

However, when congressional leaders released the text of the latest spending bill on Tuesday — three days before lawmakers were scheduled to leave for the holidays — it totaled 1,547 pages. The proposal would extend government funding until March 14.

The bill included over $110 billion for disaster relief and $30 billion for farm aid; the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009; federal funds for the reconstruction of a bridge that collapsed in Baltimore; healthcare reforms, and provisions aimed at preventing false hotel advertising.

Some Republicans criticized Johnson for backing away from a straightforward bill, especially condemning the left-leaning provisions negotiated to garner Democratic support. Johnson defended the deal, blaming “divine intervention” for the need to include some additional provisions, such as disaster relief and farm aid.

Nonetheless, opposition to Johnson’s spending deal intensified on Wednesday. Musk, who was tasked by Trump to identify areas where spending could be reduced while co-leading the Office of Government Efficiency, aggressively lobbied against the current plan, with dozens of posts on X (formerly Twitter).

The plan was described as “criminal.” He wrote that any lawmaker “voting for this outrageous spending bill deserves” to be defeated in the next election. After Elon Musk voiced opposition to the spending bill, Trump and J.D. Vance, the incoming vice president, delivered the final blow to Johnson’s deal.

Trump and Vance issued a joint statement saying they want a straightforward bill without the provisions Democrats insisted upon. They also called on Congress to raise or eliminate the debt ceiling, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills. They said anything else would constitute “betrayal of the nation.”

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Source: Fox News; Blic, Photo: Pexels

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