A last-ditch effort to prevent a partial government shutdown fell flat Thursday night as the House of Representatives rejected a temporary spending bill, despite backing from former President Trump. With the Friday deadline fast approaching, Congress remains in a deadlock over government funding.

The proposed legislation, requiring a two-thirds majority for passage, failed to garner even a simple majority. The final tally saw 174 votes in favor and 235 against. While most Republicans supported the bill, 38 GOP members defied Trump and joined the majority of Democrats in opposition. Only two Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with the Republican majority.

This legislative setback follows days of intense debate and infighting within Congress regarding government spending. The discord has extended beyond Capitol Hill, with Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy weighing in on the contentious issue. Adding to the complexity, the national debt has ballooned to over $36 trillion, coupled with a national deficit exceeding $1.8 trillion.

The latest spending bill was a hastily assembled compromise after an initial bipartisan agreement collapsed under pressure from hardline GOP members, including Musk and Ramaswamy. While the new 116-page bill included several non-budgetary provisions, it was significantly streamlined compared to its 1,547-page predecessor. Both versions aimed to extend the government funding deadline to March 14 and suspend the debt ceiling, a move advocated by Trump. The proposed debt ceiling suspension would last until January 2027, effectively postponing that battle until after the 2026 midterm elections.

Among the provisions included in the revised bill were approximately $110 billion in disaster relief for areas impacted by storms Milton and Helene, as well as funding for the reconstruction of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. Notably absent from the second iteration were a proposed pay raise for members of Congress and a measure to revitalize Washington, D.C.'s RFK stadium.

Despite Trump's public endorsement of the bill on Truth Social, urging all Republicans and Democrats to vote in favor, the measure faced resistance even before its release. Democrats, angered by Speaker Johnson's abandonment of the initial bipartisan agreement, voiced strong opposition. Simultaneously, members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus also signaled their intent to vote against the bill, citing concerns about deficit spending and the lack of structural reforms related to the debt ceiling increase.