The Scoop: Looming government shutdown signals comms discord among GOP leadership

President-elect Donald Trump is doubling down on his request that Congress suspend the debt ceiling as part of any approved spending bill. However, as the threat of a possible government shutdown looms, the legislative body – largely led by members of his own party – have failed to cobble together a plan that would meet those goals ahead of a looming deadline.

The New York Times reported there were House Republicans who were “quietly floating the idea of a very short-term funding measure — with no other provisions attached” on Thursday to avoid  a shutdown. The move would push the issue into January as Trump returns to the White House.

“There are a number of different options that the speaker is considering,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, (R-South Dakota). 

But after that vote, Trump urged lawmakers to “get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” the Associated Press reported. “Without this, we should never make a deal.”

Unless House Speaker Mike Johnson and the rest of the Republicans come to an agreement before 12:01 a.m. Saturday, the government will shut down.

“Without this, we should never make a deal,” Trump wrote on social media. “Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.”

Why it matters: This is a major moment for the second iteration of the Trump administration – and it’s happening a month before he’s even in office.

Not all citizens would feel the impact of a shutdown immediately, but those seeking to enroll in Medicare, Medicaid and many food assistance programs would likely face delays. National parks and federally funded museums would probably close or operate on limited hours, and other government programs would face risks as the shutdown dragged on.

From an optics standpoint, a failure to reach an agreement on a basic approach to government spending would send a message of discord and chaos within Republican ranks.

Some Democrats have already begun using the situation as a talking point against the GOP, according to The Hill. Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) argued that Trump and the Republicans wouldn’t feel the impacts of a shutdown, but everyday people would.

“It’s not going to hurt Trump or all those donors,” Landsman said on CNN, per The Hill. “These are multi-millionaires, billionaires…. They’re fine. It hurts our people.”

It’s also worth noting that President Biden has stayed out of the conversation altogether – letting the issue fall squarely on the shoulders of Republicans.

“Biden aides and allies cast the president’s silence over the last day-and-a-half as a strategic decision,” Politico wrote. “Trump is now poised to take the blame for any shutdown, they argued, damaging him politically even before he takes office. And they contend that anything Biden says now would risk hardening the GOP’s resolve, making it more difficult to strike a deal.”

As of this reporting, there were roughly 12 hours until a bill had to pass – an eternity in the political cycle. Regardless of what happens, this is a PR black eye for Trump.

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Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.