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Government shutdown live updates: Johnson vows no shutdown, says GOP is 'unified'

The federal government is set to run out of money Friday night.

ByIvan Pereira, Lauren Peller, and Mary Bruce
Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 2:59 PM EST

With a government shutdown deadline just hours away, Republican congressional leaders are scrambling to come up with a third spending proposal.

An initial bipartisan deal was tanked earlier this week by President-elect Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk. Then on Thursday night, the House failed to pass a revamped plan that included Trump's explosive demand that the debt limit be extended.

Thousands of federal workers could have to work without pay if a shutdown ensues. Others could be furloughed and many government services could be affected.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing:
9:42 AM EST

Top Democrat warns Senate may not accept House bill

Democrat Patty Murray, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is making it clear that she's preparing for a fight on government funding.

"I'm ready to stay here through Christmas because we're not going to let Elon Musk run the government," Murray said.

Her statement signals that Senate Democrats may not be willing to roll over and accept whatever funding measure the House manages to pass.

A man walks toward the Capitol on a day where a potential government shutdown looms during the holidays after a spending bill backed by Donald Trump failed in the U.S. House of Representatives, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 20, 2024.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Senate Democrats, including Murray and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, are continuing to advocate for a return to the bipartisan deal that President-elect Donald Trump helped to kill earlier this week.

"The American people do not want chaos or a costly government shutdown all because an unelected billionaire wants to call the shots -- I am ready to work with Republicans and Democrats to pass the bipartisan deal both sides negotiated as soon as possible," Murray said.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

8:17 AM EST

Trump says if there is going to be a shutdown, it should 'begin now'

Trump said on Friday morning that if there is going to be a government shutdown, it should "begin now."

"If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under 'TRUMP,'" Trump wrote in a social media post.

"This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!" Trump added.

The message came after House Republicans on Thursday night failed to pass a Trump-backed spending proposal after 38 GOP members rejected the plan.

-ABC News' Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh

8:06 AM EST

Johnson says he expects another vote Friday morning

Speaker Johnson told reporters that he expects the House will be voting again soon to try to avert a shutdown.

"Yeah we're expecting votes this morning, we've got a plan," he told reporters as he arrived on Capitol Hill.

When asked if there was a new agreement, he only replied: "We'll see."

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the media during a vote on a revised continuing resolution bill at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 19, 2024.
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News' Emily Chang

4:54 AM EST

Trump says Congress should 'get rid of' or extend debt ceiling, or else not do a deal

President-elect Donald Trump, in an early morning post on his social media platform, said Congress should either "get rid of" or extend the debt ceiling, saying his position was that "without this, we should never make a deal."

The post, which came a little after 1 a.m., was published after the House failed to pass the government funding bill Trump supported.

The US Capitol is pictured ahead of a vote on a revised continuing resolution bill in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 19, 2024.
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Trump added that the pressure is on the incumbent president, although he didn't mention President Joe Biden by name. He floated the year 2029 as a possibility for a new debt ceiling deadline.

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim

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