Early Saturday morning on the 21st, the House of Representatives was in upheaval amidst the looming deadline to avert a government shutdown. A bill was passed approximately half an hour after the deadline, which Biden signed into law later that day. The bill averts a government shutdown until March 14th but still refuses to address the debt ceiling crisis. The bill also provides $100 billion for disaster relief and one-year financial aid for farmers.
Before the final round of provisions leading to the majority vote, there was already bipartisan support for an original bill. However, President-elect Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk’s criticism of the original proposition of a pay raise for senators and other scrutinized elements led to a scramble for last-minute adjustments.
The week was chaotic for Congress as revisions and arguments were apparent throughout the House chamber, especially within the GOP. Consequently, the President-elect exacerbated the turmoil through his emphasis on eliminating the debt ceiling—a provision that some House Republicans disagreed with Trump on. Even with Trump’s aggressive warnings towards lawmakers of being “primaried,” 38 Republicans including Chip Roy (R-TX) remained assertive against the changes proposed in the second bill.
On the Thursday, less than 48 hours before the government shutdown, Congressman Roy scrutinized his fellow Republicans on the second bill supported by Trump.
“My position is simple – I am not going to raise or suspend the debt ceiling (racking up more debt) without significant & real spending cuts attached to it,” Roy wrote on X (formerly Twitter), responding to the president-elect’s criticism towards him.
The dysfunctional GOP that was on display is something House Democrats are already hoping to ride into the 2026 primary. When commenting on the anarchy created by contrasting beliefs within the Republican Party, Representative Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) optimistically stated, “That should put us in a very good place in 2026.”
For context, Republicans will hold a very slim majority in both the House and Senate, and, therefore, Trump will inevitably face a plethora of roadblocks throughout his second term to reach compromises, especially with a filibuster requiring 60-votes in the Senate. Whether last week’s debacle foreshadows the impending disagreement within the Republican party or was simply an abnormal situation remains questionable. Nevertheless, Trump’s first term was nothing short of quarrelsome. Americans witnessed Trump’s attempt to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare, which he promised to do on the campaign trail. Even with Republican control over the House and Senate, his plans faltered by discord within his own caucus. Reconciliation attempts like the Better Care Reconciliation Act failed in the Senate as key voters including Republican Senator John McCain voted against it.
More recently in 2023, it took 15 rounds of contentious voting for Kevin McCarthy to win the speaker’s gavel. Months after his victory, the GOP conference removed McCarthy, and the party remained without a speaker for numerous weeks.
Looking into 2025 with the beginning of Trump’s second term, the slim majority and the dramatic budget deal negotiations from the prior week hint at the challenges that Trump will inevitably face.
Trump was able to pass his tax cuts in 2017 due to the far greater House majority. Still, with many Republicans known for their more hawkish budget stances within the new slim majority, Trump’s promises of tax breaks and a raise to the debt ceiling likely will be backtracked.
According to Yahoo Finance, the total U.S. national debt totals over $36 trillion dollars. If Trump were to convince his more fiscally hawkish GOP lawmakers to add an extension to the 2017 tax breaks, reductions in entitlement programs and military spending would have to be made, a sacrifice that seems unlikely.
The triumph and euphoria felt within the GOP in recent months will begin the falter. After the inauguration, the Trump administration will have to maneuver not only around bipartisan compromise but also concessions within the Republican party itself.
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