WASHINGTON – Federal employees and anyone receiving entitlement checks will be paid. The U.S. House voted 366-31 against a Trump ultimatum to shut down all government spending at midnight unless the bill included his idea to cancel the ceiling on the national debt to finance massive tax breaks for wealthy Americans and corporations. Senate approval appears a sure thing, as does President Biden’s acceptance.
The back story
The House vote was the second resounding defeat for Trump in two days. Political analysts said the House vote portends tough sledding for the Trump agenda when his mew presidency begins in January. The vote was an embarrassment also for billionaire Elon Musk who has buddied up to Trump and appears to be controlling tactics for the Trump agenda. Unelected, Musk is being called an oligarch seeking to control government for his own financial advantage. His $64 billion fortune is mostly from government contracts for Space X and a vast array of other enterprises. Trump has turned a blind eye to the Musk conflicts of interests in exchange for massive bailouts of his own 2024 presidential campaign, his own financially collapsing business empire, and his legal costs for rape trials, election rigging, and allegations of other misdeeds.
Even Trump toadies
In the House vote, not even some of Trump’s firmest allies, including Minnesota’s Tom Emmer and Brad Finsted and Wisconsin’s Derrick Van Orden, , said enough is enough. Here’s how the Minnesota and Wisconsin delegations voted on the new continuation of federal spending, in effect snubbing the Trump-Musk scheme for a higher lid on the national debt:
For budget
> Angie Craig, D-Mn2 (south suburbs).
> Tom Emmer, R-Mn6 (north suburbs).
> Brad Finstad, R-Mn1 (south).
> Michelle Fischbach, R-Mn7 (rural west).
> Betty McCollum, D-Mn4 (St. Paul).
> Ilhan Omar, D-Mn5 (Minneapolis).
> Pete Stauber, R-Mn 8 (Iron Range).
—
> Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wi5 (Clyman).
> Gwen Moore, D-Wi4 (Milwaukee).
> Mark Pocan, D-Wi2 (Madison).
> Bryan Steil, R-Wi1 (Janesville).
> Derrick Van Orden, R-Wi3 (Prairie du Chien).
> Tony Wied, R-Wi8 (DePere).
Against
> Glen Grothman, R-Wi6 (Campbellsport).
> Tom Tiffany, R-Wi7 (Hazelburst).
Not voting
> Dean Phillips, D-Mn3 (west suburbs).