Today in one sentence: Trump killed the bipartisan spending deal to avert a shutdown, hours after Elon Musk called the plan a “piece of pork” and threatened that those who support it would “be voted out in 2 years”; after sinking the deal to fund the government, Trump demanded that Congress also eliminate the debt ceiling; House Speaker Mike Johnson offered a new proposal to avert a shutdown; and a Georgia appeals court disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from overseeing the criminal racketeering case against Trump and his allies.

1/ Trump killed the bipartisan spending deal to avert a shutdown, hours after Elon Musk called the plan a “piece of pork” and threatened that those who support it would “be voted out in 2 years.” Less than two days before a government shutdown, Trump demanded that everything from the package except the extension to fund the government until mid-March be stripped away, calling the add-ons “DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS” despite Republicans agreeing to all of the priorities. To be sure, the stopgap spending measure expanded to include $100 billion in new disaster aid, $10 billion in economic assistance to farmers, changes to health coverage and foreign investment policies, a 3.8% pay raise for members of Congress, and a provision granting a football stadium site in D.C. for the Washington Commanders. Nevertheless, Trump called any Republican who votes for the current spending bill “stupid” and threatened that they’ll “be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible.” Speaker Mike Johnson will need Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown, since he can only afford to lose three Republicans on any proposal and some conservatives are unlikely to support whatever plan emerges. Democrats, however, are pressuring Johnson to stick to their original deal. Earlier in the day, Trump said Johnson will “easily remain speaker” if he “acts decisively and tough” and eliminates “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the spending package. Meanwhile, a growing number of Republicans – including Trump – have started to publicly call for the government to shut down until the next year, with some suggesting they keep it closed until the inauguration. Congress now has until Friday night to craft a bill that can pass the Republican-led House and the Democratic-controlled Senate and be signed by Biden before the government shuts-down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. One House Republican was overheard complaining to another member about Trump’s last-minute demands: “This is a deeply unserious party right now.” (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / NBC News / Axios / Washington Post)

  • Democratic lawmakers condemned Elon Musk for sinking the bipartisan government funding bill, calling him the “unelected co-president of this country.” (Axios)
  • 💭 Why does this matter? The debate over Musk’s involvement in government funding decisions reflects the increasing concentration of political power in unelected, wealthy individuals. Musk’s influence challenges the foundational democratic principle that policymaking should be accountable to voters. As leaders prioritize appeasing influential figures over serving the public, the integrity of representative democracy is at risk.

2/ After sinking the bipartisan deal to fund the government, Trump demanded that Congress also eliminate the debt ceiling, a law that limits how much money the federal government can borrow to pay its bills. Trump said getting rid of the debt ceiling would be the “smartest thing [Congress] could do. I would support that entirely.” He added: “Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch,” warning that Democrats “are looking to embarrass us in June when it comes up for a Vote.” Although the cap is currently suspended until Jan. 1, 2025, under a bipartisan deal struck in June 2023, the Treasury Department can extend the deadline using so-called “extraordinary measures” to push back the date and buy more time for lawmakers to address it. The national debt currently sits at about $36 trillion. (NBC News / Axios / Washington Post)

  • 🧩 What’s at stake? The debt limit, a cap on how much the government can borrow, doesn’t authorize new spending; it allows the government to borrow money to fund obligations already approved by Congress. If the limit isn’t raised, the government risks defaulting on its financial commitments, which include paying interest on the national debt, funding social programs, and paying federal employees. The debt limit was suspended until January 1, 2025, after a prior bipartisan agreement. Trump wants Congress to either lift or abolish the limit now to prevent fiscal battles during his administration, which he expects to involve costly initiatives like tax cuts and border security. Historically, Republicans have used the debt limit to demand spending cuts from Democrats, but with Republicans set to take control of the government in about a month, they face pressure to resolve the issue themselves. While some Democrats and Trump favor abolishing the debt limit altogether, many Republicans are reluctant, citing fiscal concerns.

3/ House Speaker Mike Johnson offered a new proposal to avert a shutdown: extend federal spending for three months, suspend the debt limit for two years, extend the farm bill for a year, and provide $100 billion for disaster aid. Trump immediately embraced the new plan, calling it a “success” and “a very good Deal for the American People.” Johnson plans to bring the bill to a vote via a process called suspension, which means it needs a two-thirds vote threshold to pass. It’s unclear, however, whether enough Republicans will support the proposal. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, called it “a water-downed version of the same crappy bill people were mad about yesterday.” Trump then threatened to primary challenge Roy, saying “Republican obstructionists have to be done away with.” Meanwhile, Democrats, who were not part of the renegotiated deal, are not expected to support the plan, either. “The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious. It’s laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. And in a private caucus meeting, Jeffries told colleagues: “I’m not simply a no. I’m a hell no.” (Politico / NBC News / Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / Politico)

  • Rand Paul and Marjorie Taylor Greene proposed Elon Musk as a candidate for Speaker of the House, noting that the role does not require congressional membership. Musk’s public campaign against Johnson’s spending bill significantly contributed to its failure. (Axios / New Republic)

4/ A Georgia appeals court disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from overseeing the criminal racketeering case against Trump and his allies. The three-judge panel reversed a trial judge’s decision that allowed her to remain on the case despite revelations about a romantic relationship she had with the lawyer she hired to manage the prosecution. The appeals court, however, said that “disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings.” It did not dismiss the indictment. Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted in August 2023 over an alleged scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. Willis’ disqualification means the charges against Trump will likely either be paused while he is in office or dismissed entirely. (Washington Post / CNBC / New York Times / NBC News / CBS News / Associated Press / Axios / Politico)

Five years ago today: Day 1064: Counterpunch.
Six years ago today: Day 699: Everybody out.