President-elect torpedoes bipartisan plan with less than 48 hours remaining until government shuts down for holidays
Just a few hours ago, Donald Trump rejected a tentative deal in Congress to keep the government funded through the first few months of his term, and demanded lawmakers increase the country’s borrowing limit in any new compromise.
Now, the president-elect has modified his demands, by telling NBC News in an interview that he wants the debt ceiling eliminated outright. “The Democrats have said they want to get rid of it. If they want to get rid of it, I would lead the charge,” Trump told the broadcaster.
Democrats appear content to let Republicans own the government funding fiasco, with the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, tweeting that the GOP has “been ordered to shut down the government”.
The Wall Street Journal has published a lengthy look into how the White House managed Joe Biden’s public ageing during his presidency and before – which was a major factor in his decision to end his re-election bid earlier this year.
Biden and Kamala Harris have no public events on their schedule. The president is returning to Washington DC today from Delaware, while the vice-president flies this evening to Los Angeles.