JUST IN: Trump Changes Course, Issues New Directive To House Republicans: ‘This Is A Biden Problem’

President-elect Donald Trump issued a new directive to U.S. House Republicans on Friday, doubling down on previous statements encouraging them to accept a government shutdown if it means Democrats and President Joe Biden shoulder the brunt of the blame.

On Truth Social, the Republican leader said he preferred that a shutdown “begin now, under the Biden Administration” and before he takes office on January 20th, 2025. His brazenly political order came after Republican lawmakers rejected his preferred bill to keep the government funded until the party assumes control of the White House and both legislative chambers next year and put off a debate over raising the debt ceiling until January of 2027. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) acquiesced to the request after being railroaded while trying to push through a bipartisan spending package that had been sharply criticized by conservative members of his caucus.

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Trump’s throwing himself headfirst into the debate signals that he cares deeply about how Johnson will be able to manage a slim majority over the next two years. An ambitious America First agenda will hinge on near-unanimous support by House Republicans, but Johnson will have just a single vote to spare in the face of total opposition by Democrats until special elections fill vacant GOP seats. Some of the caucus’s most cantankerous members are already indicating they are digging in for a protracted fight next year; earlier this week, Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) announced she won’t join the GOP caucus and may not even take most votes. Other, more prominent contrarians like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) have been at the forefront of demanding that Johnson include ambitious conservative priorities in future legislation to earn her support.

With government funding set to expire at midnight on Friday, Johnson is expected to circulate soon a third, more slimmed-down package that will likely be his final chance. Spending priorities for farmers and natural disaster relief have split the ideologically diverse caucus and continue to remain sticking points in reaching an agreement. The plan is not expected to raise the debt ceiling, a key demand from Trump, though Johnson is believed to have at the ready a clean continuing resolution that raises the ceiling and maintains current funding levels for just several more weeks, according to the Washington Post. Trump added in his post on Friday that lawmakers should “get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal.”

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