Friendly fire alert! Donald Trump and JD Vance are torching House Speaker Mike Johnson for his carefully negotiated spending bill. Apparently, Johnson is guilty of a “Democrat giveaway.”
The spending bill in question was supposed to be the lifeline that kept the government running through March. Packed with over 1,500 pages of funding provisions, it included billions for disaster relief, agricultural aid, healthcare, and even funds to replace the infamous collapsed bridge in Baltimore. But, Trump and Vance found the provisions to be selling out the GOP’s values. Yep, that’s Trump for you, helping people in need should be a party issue, not a humanitarian one. So, the pair went on to release a statement, demanding a hardline approach that ties any funding extension to a debt ceiling increase. The result? Utter pandemonium in the Republican ranks.
“Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH,” Trump and Vance bellowed in the trademark caps lock, as if they were posting directly from the void. “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF.” It’s the kind of rhetoric that whips the GOP base into a frenzy but leaves party leaders sweating bullets. Johnson, caught between Trump’s bombast and the ticking clock, is now scrambling to salvage his speakership and his reputation.
Within the GOP, Trump’s demands to tie the debt ceiling debate to the funding bill have been met with skepticism. Veteran lawmakers like Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell have openly questioned the feasibility of such a move. “Oh, this is the way it’s going to be next year,” McConnell said, channeling the weariness of a man who’s seen it all. Given that the debt ceiling is set to return in January, Trump’s push for an immediate showdown feels like a ticking time bomb.
And then there’s Elon Musk, who’s suddenly become a fiscal responsibility expert. Musk’s “This bill should not pass” post sent the GOP offices into overdrive. A GOP source described the proposal as “collapsing” under the weight of Musk’s influence. A man with zero experience in politics apparently has enough influence to stop a funding bill. Can someone please tell him what a funding bill is? Does he know that the government can shut down if the bill is stopped?
But what did Trump find “Democratic” in this funding bill? Well, there’s an inclusion of a sneaky little provision that eliminates the block on automatic Congressional pay raises. Lawmakers want to give themselves a cost-of-living adjustment while the rest of the country frets over a potential shutdown. It’s a detail that has conservatives howling about backroom deals and betrayal. One might think Johnson would be applauded for negotiating billions in disaster relief and agricultural aid—a win for struggling farmers and disaster-stricken regions. Instead, he’s getting framed by his own party for allowing anything resembling a Democratic win.
Meanwhile, Democrats are enjoying the spectacle, popcorn in hand. For their part, they stood firm behind the original bipartisan deal. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries even delivered a mic-drop moment: “You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow.” What will be the consequences? A government shutdown that proves Republicans are incapable of governing.
Johnson’s honeymoon period as speaker is officially over. For the rest of us, it’s another wild episode in the Trump-era reality show that is American politics. So, let’s just enjoy seeing the GOP in chaos.