Elected President Trump stated he opposes the proposed government funding bill and threatens to take ad hoc measures to maintain government operations until mid-March next year.

Previously, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Congress announced a temporary funding measure on Tuesday to ensure federal agencies' funding remains until March 14 next year, which would avoid a partial government shutdown starting Saturday. This measure could maintain approximately $6.2 trillion of the federal budget at current levels, providing funding for projects such as the military, air traffic controllers, and federal regulatory agencies in fields ranging from drug safety to securities markets. The measure also includes $100.4 billion in new emergency funding to help states like North Carolina and Florida recover from devastating hurricanes, western wildfires, and other recent disasters.

But Trump said on Wednesday that he hopes lawmakers will also include raising the debt ceiling in the package, a politically troubling measure that would allow the Treasury to pay existing debts.

Trump and elected Vice President Vance said in a joint statement on Wednesday, "Raising the debt ceiling is not good, but we prefer to do it under Biden's nose. If Democrats are unwilling to cooperate on the debt ceiling issue now, what makes anyone think they will cooperate after we are in power? Let's start the debate now."

The U.S. Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling before this summer to avoid a catastrophic impact on the market and economy from a default.

House Speaker and Republican Mike Johnson cut back on the federal funding agreement reached with Democrats in order to secure enough votes for the bill to pass in the House. After his predecessor Kevin McCarthy was ousted due to dissatisfaction from Republicans regarding what some legislators called excessive spending and prioritizing Democratic requests for funding agreements, the opposition to the bill raised doubts about the longevity of his speakership.

Trump and Vance called for a "streamlined" federal funding bill, urging Congress to cut back on the main provisions of a package plan that would continue government spending at current levels for the next three months.

However, the legislation also includes some sweeteners: $100 billion in disaster relief funding following record hurricanes and the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge; extending the agriculture bill for an additional year to provide $10 billion in extra assistance to farmers; and providing $500 million for child care funds.

If the bill fails, the government may partially shut down as early as this Saturday. But if the legislation passes, the next funding battle will continue until mid-March, when the newly elected 119th Congress will pass more permanent federal funding.

The temporary spending bill released Tuesday night was quickly met with resistance from two individuals appointed by Trump to control government spending: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy said the bill is "filled with excessive spending, special interest giveaways, and pork barrel politics." (Pork barrel politics refers to the practice of politicians promoting unnecessary or wasteful projects within their constituencies to gain political capital or personal benefit in order to win voter support.)

Musk posted a photo of what appears to be a 1547-page printed bill, saying, "Have you seen bigger pork?" In another post, he added, "The more I learn, the more it becomes clear that this spending bill is a crime."

Musk and Ramaswamy will co-lead an organization called the Department of Government Efficiency, which is loosely structured, tech-driven, and aims to cut federal spending. House Speaker Johnson told Fox News on Wednesday that he is texting with the two to address their concerns.

These legislations include a series of policy items, which often become poison pills in temporary spending bills, as these bills usually take the essence and leave the dregs. These policies include regulations against AI-generated deepfake pornography, restrictions on U.S. overseas investments in China, and relocating RFK Stadium to Washington, D.C., paving the way for the NFL's Commanders to move games to that location. The bill does not contain provisions to freeze congressional salaries and allows for the automatic adjustment of living expenses to take effect for the first time since 2009. Currently, the annual salary for members of Congress is $174,000.

Trump cannot veto the bill because he won't be in office for another month. But he has also shown a willingness to use his influence over Republican lawmakers to oppose the spending bill, as he attempted to block a similar bill in September as leverage to obtain a voter identification law he supports. Congress ultimately passed a three-month spending extension but did not include election-related provisions.

Trump told Lawrence Jones, co-host of (Fox and Friends), that he believes "the battle starts now," rather than waiting until he is inaugurated. The network subsequently aired the conversation live.

During his first term, Trump presided over two government shutdowns—one following the 2018 midterm elections that lasted a record 35 days.

Article reposted from: Jin Ten Data