Washington (AP) — Donald Trump just avoided a federal shutdown just before Christmas when Congress passed a budget deal early on Saturday, despite days of threats and demands.

The president-elect was unable to accomplish his primary objective of lifting the debt ceiling, but he was able to pressure House Republicans to reduce some expenditure. This result demonstrated that even after his resounding election victory and repeated threats of retaliation, many of his party members were still prepared to openly oppose him.

A month before to his inauguration, Trump’s participation in the budget discussion exposed his propensity to sabotage rather than foster consensus. This suggests that his second term will probably be similar to his first in terms of chaos, infighting, and brinkmanship.

“Remain tuned. Fasten your seat belt. Pay attention,” senior appropriator Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., cautioned.

According to Trump’s program, there will likely be a lot more confrontations in the upcoming years. In addition to cutting government spending, he intends to increase import duties, crack down on illegal immigration, and extend the tax cuts he signed into law in 2017. Congress will need to cooperate to achieve the majority of these objectives.

For a large number of Trump’s followers, disruption is a goal unto itself. According to a study, 37% of voters who supported him in 2024 desired “complete and total upheaval,” while 56% supported “substantial change.”

The difficulties Trump may encounter in implementing his plan, however, were highlighted by recent events, especially given that Republicans only possess narrow majorities in the House and Senate. Already, some politicians are becoming impatient with what seems to be a lack of a cohesive approach.

The budget fight was “a valuable lesson in how to get our act together,” according to Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who acknowledged the difficulties going forward.

What Trump’s decision to engage in the spending fight tells us about the next four years
What Trump’s decision to engage in the spending fight tells us about the next four years

How Trump’s requests were not met

The dispute started when lawmakers introduced a continuing resolution package that would keep the federal government open until March. The measure was initially opposed on social media by Elon Musk, a prominent Trump ally, who called it unnecessary spending rather than Trump.

In order to keep the debt ceiling, which is the maximum amount the government can borrow, from becoming an issue during his presidency, Trump eventually joined the debate, calling on Republicans to renounce their agreement with Democrats.

Trump’s demands changed rapidly. He first wanted to do away with the debt ceiling completely, then he wanted to suspend it until 2027 and then prolong it until 2029.

Trump demanded that Democratic President Joe Biden take responsibility if there was a shutdown.

“Tonight, all Republicans, including Democrats, should vote ‘YES’ for this bill, since it is ideal for our nation.” Prior to a vote on the bill’s version with a higher debt ceiling, Trump wrote on Thursday.

Rather, the bill was opposed by 38 Republicans. Trump’s power over his party has frequently appeared to be almost complete, so this was a surprising rebuff.

“We should never make a deal without this,” Trump posted on his social media account, Truth Social.

Trump threatened to shut down the government if his demands weren’t satisfied and threatened Republican legislators with primary challenges, specifically targeting Texas Representative Chip Roy.

A final agreement was ultimately passed early on Saturday, except the debt ceiling rise.

By claiming that the measure was drastically reduced and omitted unpopular elements like a pay increase for members of Congress, Musk and other Trump supporters attempted to portray it as a win. According to a tweet by conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump is “already running Congress before he takes office!”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, claimed to have been in “continuous communication” with Trump, who was “definitely pleased with this result.”

If Trump agreed, he kept it to himself. Trump chose to go golfing at his Florida estate on Friday instead of responding to the barrage of social media messages.

Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s spokesperson, asserted that the president-elect had thwarted a deal “full of Democrat pork and pay raises for Congress.”

“In January, President Trump and DOGE will continue this important mission to cut the waste out of Washington, one bill at a time,” she continued, alluding to a new body headed by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Musk called the Department of Government Efficiency.

More conflicts are on the horizon.

The frantic budget battle was reminiscent of the turbulent times during Trump’s first term. Trump’s insistence for money for the U.S.-Mexico border wall during his administration resulted in the longest government shutdown in American history. A significant political setback to his administration occurred when, after 35 days, he accepted a deal without obtaining the wall funds.

Trump continued to pressure Republicans to follow his wishes at that time, and he doesn’t appear to be altering course today.

Reluctant Republican senators are already being pressured by him to back his contentious Cabinet picks, including as former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth as defense secretary and anti-vaccine extremist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary.

Trump’s power in the House is expected to be put to the test during the upcoming spending discussions. Numerous conservatives consider the government debt’s explosive growth to be an existential threat that has to be addressed. Republicans, meanwhile, are concerned that significant cuts to federal programs would provoke a backlash from voters.

Trump’s suggested tax cuts, which would remove the Social Security, overtime, and tip taxes, might put further strain on the budget. The tax breaks from his 2017 tax reform, which are scheduled to expire in 2025, are another measure he wants to prolong. Only businesses that manufacture in the United States would be eligible for Trump’s planned 15% corporation tax rate cut from 21%.

Although experts caution that this could raise consumer costs, Trump says he will use increased import duties to make up for the revenue loss.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Republican from Texas, pointed out that cutting government expenditure will remain a major bone of contention between Trump and House Republicans.

“That’s a major priority for House Republicans, but it’s never really been a campaign promise of Trump,” Crenshaw stated.

The tensions persisted on Saturday. Trump was accused by some Republicans of being subordinate to Musk, while Democrats accused the House leadership of failing to get Trump’s approval of the original agreement.

Biden signed the budget bill into law, and Trump said nothing. The president said, “This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted.” However, it disapproves of the Republicans’ expedited plan for a billionaire tax cut and guarantees that the government can continue to function at full capacity.

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