Where is Biden on Debt Ceiling, Government Shutdown?

by Sharon Rondeau

(Dec. 20, 2024) — A House “stop-gap” spending bill aimed at avoiding a government shutdown Friday night and supported by President-Elect Donald Trump was voted down Thursday evening.

The measure evolved from a much larger spending bill to which House Republicans, Trump and his incoming “DOGE” co-leaders, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, had strongly objected.

Perhaps surprisingly, Trump had urged House Republicans to raise the debt ceiling to facilitate passage of the shorter, more streamlined bill but on the condition it be done before he takes office on January 20, 2025.

“All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote ‘YES’ for this Bill, TONIGHT!” Trump posted on TruthSocial approximately two hours before the vote in the House was taken.

On Friday morning Trump responded to the bill’s failure with, “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”

According to multiple reports, Biden returned to the White House on Thursday evening after spending several days at his home in Delaware but has not communicated directly with members of Congress over the collapsed negotiations to fund the government, with or without a shutdown occurring.

A Politico headline time-stamped Thursday at 6:00 p.m. reads, “Biden is AWOL as Washington spirals into shutdown chaos.”

“More than a half-dozen House Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that the conference had yet to hear from the president, even as Congress scrambled to salvage a funding deal and avoid shutting down the government,” the article begins.

Over Thursday and Friday, the White House issued more than a half-dozen press releases, but none addressed the end-of-year congressional skirmish in which House Democrats and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blamed Republicans for reneging on an initial funding agreement and drawing the nation ever-closer to the dreaded shutdown.

According to WDEL News, Joe and Jill Biden on Friday “will make a holiday visit to patients and families at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC.”

Throughout Thursday numerous media reports provided coverage of a Wall Street Journal exposé published that morning revealing it conducted “nearly 50 interviews” with White House staffers and other administration personnel painting a picture of a president incapable of conducting day-to-day business who they regularly shielded from scrutiny and the rigors of the job.

According to The Times of India, Biden was expected to remain in Delaware through the Christmas holiday.

On Thursday evening, Blaze News reported Harris canceled an upcoming weekend trip to California “leading many to speculate that the ongoing budget crisis forced her to stay in Washington, D.C.” Her office did not provide a reason for her change in plan, Blaze noted.

At 10:44 a.m. EST Friday, frequent “X”-space host Mario Nawfal was broadcasting a live feed of the House chamber provided by PBS showing no current official activity.

At 1o:50 p.m., a speaker addressed the members present, acknowledging Congress plans to leave Washington for the Christmas break and providing vivid details about food, drink and time with family members.

“We will celebrate life with a roof over our head, with our loved ones close by, and with our cupboards well-stocked,” the speaker said. There will also be “time for reflection,” he said, and that “for so many,” cupboards are not “well-stocked” due to “mental afflictions” and other challenges.

He did not mention, at least at that time, the devastation of Hurricane Helene for which both failed funding bills contained appropriations.

He mentioned Sudan and Ukraine to demonstrate examples of “suffering.” But hte place that weighs heavy on my heart during this season is the Middle East, “he said, decrying the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Both Israeli and “Palestinian victims” “weigh on my heart,” he said.

According to Reuters, during a government shutdown, “Workers deemed essential would remain on the job. All federal employees’ pay could be disrupted during a shutdown, though they would receive retroactive pay once government operations resume.”

Post office service, Social Security payments and Medicare, Medicaid and military medical programs would continue uninterrupted, the report states.

In addition:

The 2 million U.S. military personnel would remain at their posts, but roughly half of the Pentagon’s 800,000 civilian employees would be furloughed — ordered not to work.

Contracts awarded before the shutdown would continue, and the Pentagon could place new orders for supplies or services needed to protect national security. Other new contracts, including renewals or extensions, would not be awarded.