Trump's Trials - What the spending fight portends for the next Congress and the Trump administration

Episode Date: December 23, 2024

The federal government remains open for business. That's because Congress managed to avoid a government shutdown on Friday that would have hit families right before the holidays. NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports.Support NPR and hear every episode sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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Support the resource that's here for you no matter what. Give today at donate.npr.org. I'm Asma Khalid. This Monday, the federal government remains open for business. That's because Congress managed to avoid a government shutdown on Friday evening that would have hit families right before the holidays. They were in that tedious position because demands from President-elect Donald Trump and his close advisor, Elon Musk, undermined the initial bipartisan deal. Here to talk us through all of this is NPR Congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt. Good morning, Barbara.

Good morning, Asma. So let's begin with what lawmakers ultimately passed on Friday to keep the government from shutting down. What was it? Well, the big elements were funding the government through mid-March, aid to farmers, and aid to communities still reeling from natural disasters like hurricanes.

All those were part of that earlier bipartisan deal, although that bill was a lot larger in size and scope and included a lot of legislative tack-ons that Republicans weren't very happy with. You mentioned that earlier bipartisan bill. Well, somewhere in the middle there, Trump intervened, right? That's right. After his top advisor, billionaire Elon Musk, trashed the bill on social media, Musk posted

false information about what was in that bipartisan bill. He started to thank members who said they wouldn't support it. And afterwards, President-elect Trump essentially tanked the bill, telling members not to vote for it. And afterwards, President-elect Trump essentially tanked the bill, telling members not to vote for it. He said he wanted Congress to streamline the bill and also raise the debt limit, and he wanted that to happen on President Biden's watch. This final version, though, did not include raising the debt limit, correct? It did not. Not for lack of trying on House Speaker Mike Johnson's part. He did try to pass a version that included that, but 38 House Republicans rejected it over concerns of government spending. And that's a significant number to openly defy the leader of their party. And they did it

after Trump threatened to primary anyone who didn't go along with what he wants. So Barbara, I have a big picture question here. You mentioned earlier, Elon Musk, one of the president-elect's top advisors. What does his behavior here indicate about his influence going into the next administration? Well, we already knew that Musk played a big role in the Trump campaign and that he's going to be part of this new advisory group in the Trump administration about government efficiency. But what we learned last week was just how much power and influence he already has with Trump and with Congress.

And I think it's really interesting how his involvement gave Democrats a bit of a cohesive strategy, one they really haven't had since the election. And they seized on this power of Musk, the richest guy in the world. They started calling him President Musk, saying he's the one calling the shots, clearly designed to get under Trump's skin. And Trump did in fact respond to it yesterday while speaking at a turning point conference in Arizona, calling it a new hoax.

The new one is President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, that's not happening. And he tossed in this aside. And I'm safe. You know why? He can't be. No, no, that's not happening. And he tossed in this aside. And I'm safe, you know why? He can't be. He wasn't born in this country. Musk, of course, being born in South Africa.

So how the messaging unfolds between Trump, Musk, and Democrats is something that we'll be watching. Barbara, just briefly, you know, of course, another leadership position in question here is the House Speaker, House Speaker Mike Johnson. He wants to stay in that role, but does the chaos over the last week indicate it won't be smooth sailing for him? You know, potentially. I will say there was a lot of frustration among Republican members I spoke with last

week about the way that Johnson handled the funding bill generally. There's already one member who says he won't be voting for Johnson as speaker and Republicans will very narrowly control the House. So there really can't be a lot of defectors in order for Johnson to keep the gavel. All right. Thanks for your reporting, Barbara. Thank you. That's NPR congressional correspondent, Barbara Sprunt. And before we wrap up, a thank you to our NPR Plus supporters who hear each show without

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