The Trump-backed spending bill is failing, meaning there is a looming threat of a U.S. government shutdown

A spending bill backed by Donald Trump failed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday as dozens of Republicans defied the U.S. president-elect, leaving Congress without a clear plan to avert a fast-moving government shutdown that could hit holiday travel.

The vote exposed fault lines in Trump’s Republican Party that could resurface next year as its members gain control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.

Trump had pressured lawmakers to resolve outstanding issues before taking office on January 20, but members of the party’s right flank refused to support a package that would increase spending and clear the way for a plan that would Increasing federal government spending by trillions more would add $36 trillion in debt.

“I am absolutely disgusted by a party that advocates for fiscal responsibility and has the audacity to turn to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible,” said Republican Rep. Chip Roy, one of 38 Republicans who voted against the bill.

The package failed hours after assembly

The package failed by a vote of 174 to 235, just hours after it was hastily put together by Republican leaders eager to accommodate Trump’s demands. A A previous bipartisan deal fell through after Trump and the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, spoke out against it on Wednesday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson did not provide details when reporters asked him about next steps after the failed vote.

“We will find another solution,” he said.

The state funding expires on Friday at midnight. If lawmakers don’t extend that deadline, the U.S. government will begin a partial shutdown that would cut off funding for everything from border surveillance to national parks and cut paychecks for more than two million federal workers.

The US Transportation Security Administration warned that travelers could expect long lines at airports during the busy holiday season.

The bill that failed Thursday was largely similar to the previous version, which Musk and Trump had called a wasteful giveaway to Democrats. It would have extended federal funding through March, provided $100 billion in disaster relief and suspended debt. Republicans dropped other elements included in the original package, such as a pay raise for lawmakers and new rules for pharmacy benefit managers.

At Trump’s urging, the new version would also have suspended the national debt limit for two years – a maneuver that would make it easier to pass the dramatic tax cuts he has promised.

Before the vote, Johnson told reporters that the package would avoid disruption, resolve outstanding issues and make it easier for lawmakers to cut spending by hundreds of billions of dollars when Trump takes office next year.

“The government is too big, it does too many things and it only does a few things well,” he said.

Democrats reject bill

Democrats criticized the bill as a cover for a budget-damaging tax cut that would primarily benefit wealthy backers like Musk while burdening the country with trillions of dollars in additional debt.

“How dare you ever lecture America about fiscal responsibility?” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said during floor debate.

Even if the bill had passed in the House, it would have faced major opposition in the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats. The White House said US President Joe Biden does not support this.

Previous disputes over the debt ceiling have unsettled financial markets as a U.S. government default would trigger credit shocks around the world. The limit was suspended under an agreement that technically expires Jan. 1, although lawmakers likely won’t have to address the issue until the spring.

When he returns to office, Trump wants to push through tax cuts that could reduce revenue by $8 trillion over 10 years, driving up debt without offsetting spending cuts. He has vowed not to cut retirement and health benefits for seniors, which make up a large portion of the budget and are expected to rise dramatically in the coming years.

The last government shutdown took place in December 2018 and January 2019, during Trump’s first term in the White House.

The riots also threatened to topple Johnson, a mild-mannered Louisianan that he was unexpectedly ran into the speaker’s office last year after the right wing of the party voted out then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy via a state financing law. Johnson has had to repeatedly turn to Democrats for help passing legislation when he has been unable to deliver his own party’s votes.

On Thursday he tried the same maneuver, but this time he failed.

Several Republicans said they would not vote for Johnson as speaker when Congress returns in January, potentially setting up another turbulent leadership battle in the weeks before Trump takes office.