House Democrats Rally Against GOP Shutdown Fix Plan

House Democrats are whipping votes to reject a Republican plan to avert a government shutdown per Axios. The GOP proposal aims to keep federal agencies funded past March but faces fierce pushback over spending cuts. With deadlines nearing this clash risks plunging Washington into chaos just months into Trumps term.

The Republican bill slashes domestic programs by 10 percent while boosting border security funds. Speaker Mike Johnson pitches it as a lean compromise to avoid a lapse in government operations. Democrats led by Hakeem Jeffries call it a nonstarter that guts vital services for ideological wins.

Funding expires in late March forcing Congress to act or face furloughs and closed offices. Past shutdowns like 2018 cost 11 billion dollars per federal estimates stoking urgency now. The GOP holds a slim House edge but needs Democratic votes to clear the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.

Democrats decry cuts to health and education as reckless amid Trumps tariff-driven inflation fears. They point to 200000 federal jobs already axed by DOGE under Elon Musk as proof of GOP overreach. Jeffries vows to protect working families from what he calls a manufactured crisis by hardline Republicans.

Johnson counters that runaway spending fueled a 35 trillion dollar national debt needing restraint. He ties the plan to Trumps agenda of shrinking government and securing borders. The standoff echoes 2023 when GOP rebels like Thomas Massie tanked a similar deal over principle.

Negotiations faltered as Democrats demand a clean funding bill with no strings attached. Republicans refuse to budge insisting cuts reflect voter mandates from November. Aides report no talks scheduled raising odds of a shutdown hitting everything from parks to tax refunds.

Trumps team backs the GOP push urging Congress to deliver an early win for his fiscal vision. He blasted Democrats on X for obstructing what he calls common-sense reform. Their no-vote whip risks painting them as the holdup if government grinds to a halt soon.

Lawmakers face a ticking clock with families and markets bracing for fallout. A shutdown would test Trumps sway over a divided party and nation in his second term. Whether compromise or collapse prevails will shape Washington’s course into spring.