U.S. shutdown crisis escalates...Trump's demand for budget bill rejected

On the 19th local time, a new budget prepared by Republicans was rejected by the House of Representatives, a day before the deadline for the U.S. federal government to pass the temporary budget.

According to foreign media, the new budget bill, which was introduced to the House of Representatives led by Republicans, failed to pass with 174 votes in favor and 235 against it.

The rejected budget is an amendment prepared by Republicans to reflect U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's demand that the "abolition of the debt limit" must be included.

Trump has expressed support for the budget bill, but the half-term failure of some Democrats as well as Republicans has further heightened the sense of crisis that the federal government could be temporarily suspended (shut down).

The original House of Representatives had 219 Republicans out of 430 (5 vacancies), slightly more than Democrats (211). However, 38 Republicans reportedly voted against the vote and left the party.

AFP says Republicans who strongly support debt restrictions have buckled the bill against their party's leadership.

Earlier, Republicans drafted a new budget that includes ▲ three-month interim budgeting ▲ two-year abolition of the debt limit ▲ $100 billion disaster assistance budget ▲ $10 billion in farmer assistance.

The new budget does not include the phrase raising lawmakers' salaries.

The Republican Party made the new budget plan because Trump expressed his opposition the day before, saying that the existing ruling-opposition party agreement included a large number of "giving Democrats."

In particular, Trump raised the issue of debt limits unrelated to the handling of the temporary budget, arguing that even at the risk of a government shutdown, it must be dealt with together in the handling of the temporary budget.

In an interview with NBC and other U.S. media on the same day, he said, "The temporary budget proposal is unacceptable in many ways. This is a Democratic trap," he reiterated his opposition.

Regarding the abolition of the debt limit, he said, "It's the smartest thing Congress can do," adding, "The Democratic Party has said it wants to remove the limit. If they want to get rid of it, I'll take the lead."

When the House Republican Party's new budget plan was unveiled, Trump posted a message on his social media later in the day to express his support.

"Republicans, as well as Democrats, should do what's best for the United States," he said. "We should vote for this budget tonight."

Democrats, on the other hand, have criticized the Republican break-up of the agreement and expressed opposition to the debt ceiling deal being included in the interim budget.

House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a social media post that "Republican extremists want to raise the debt limit to lower your social security (old age pension)," adding, "Hard pass."

CNN also reported that the Republican Party's new budget bill was "laughable."

At the same time, hardliners in the Republican Party, who have been critical of the fiscal deficit, have also publicly opposed raising the debt limit."I'm not going to raise the debt limit or increase the debt without substantial government spending cuts," said Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas)



In response, Trump threatened to lose the party's primary in the next election if he continued to oppose it, saying, "The obstructions in the Republican Party should disappear."

Earlier, he also mentioned House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, with the intention of effectively removing him from his position as House speaker if he did not accept his request.

In a related development, Senator Rand Paul (Kentucky), a Republican, recommended Tesla CEO Elon Musk as the next speaker of the House, citing the rule that anyone who is not a member of Congress can become speaker of the House.

If Congress fails to process the budget by midnight on the 20th, the U.S. federal government will be partially suspended.

As a result, public officials who do not perform essential functions will not be paid as they go on unpaid leave.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the five-week shutdown that took place between 2018 and 2019 during Trump's first administration caused about $3 billion worth of damage to the economy.