Biden returning to Washington from Delaware as government shutdown looms

A bipartisan spending package appears doomed after Trump's criticism, and Congress has until midnight on Friday to pass a bill.

Published: December 19, 2024 10:57am

Updated: December 19, 2024 1:24pm

President Biden is returning to the White House from Delaware on Thursday evening as a partial government shutdown looms.

Biden is scheduled to arrive in Washington at 5:30 p.m., according to his official schedule.

A bipartisan spending package appears doomed after President-elect Trump's criticism of its contents, particularly a pay raise for members of Congress and lack of a provision to address the nation's debt ceiling. The national debt is currently $36.1 trillion.

Congress has until midnight on Friday to pass a bill to avoid a shutdown.

Johnson released the full text of the spending bill on Tuesday night after bipartisan negotiations commenced. The bill, which would run through March 14, included a pay raise for members of Congress, about $100 billion in disaster relief funding, full federal funding for the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, about $10 billion in federal aid to farmers and a provision allowing members of Congress to opt-out of Obamacare.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, whom Trump tapped to run a new government efficiency panel, sent out a series of highly critical posts about the legislation on his social media platform X. Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance released a statement on Wednesday in opposition to the bill as well.

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