The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed legislation on Friday that would prevent a midnight government shutdown, defying President-elect Donald Trump’s request to also authorize trillions of dollars in new debt.

Next, the Democratic-controlled Senate must pass legislation to keep the US government funded after midnight, when current funding runs out. If approved by the Senate, President Joe Biden intends to sign it into law, the White House said.

The bill would extend government funding through March 14, provide $100 billion for disaster-hit states and $10 billion for farmers. However, that would not raise the debt ceiling – a difficult task Trump has been pushing Congress to do before he takes office on January 20.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans will have more power to influence government spending next year, when they hold majorities in both houses of Congress and Trump is in the White House.

“This was a necessary step to bridge the gap, to bring us to a moment where we can put our fingerprints on the final spending decisions,” he told reporters after the vote. He said Trump supports the package.

A government shutdown would disrupt everything from law enforcement to national parks and freeze paychecks for millions of federal workers. A travel industry trade group has warned that the closures could cost airlines, hotels and other businesses US$1 billion a week and lead to widespread disruption during the busy Christmas season. Authorities have warned that travelers could face long queues at airports.

The package, which passed by a bipartisan vote of 366-34, was similar to a bipartisan plan that was abandoned earlier this week after an online attack from Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk, who said it contained too many unrelated provisions, such as pay raises for lawmakers and cracking down on administrators fee in pharmacies.

Republicans rejected most of those elements from the draft bill — including a provision limiting investment in China that Democrats said would conflict with Musk’s interests.

“He clearly doesn’t want to answer questions about how much he plans to expand his business in China and how much American technology he plans to sell,” Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro said on the House floor.

Musk happy with the deal

Trump has tapped Musk, the world’s richest person, to lead a budget-cutting task force, but Musk has no official position in Washington.

Musk wrote on his social platform X that he was satisfied with the package. “It went from a note that weighed in pounds to a note that weighed in ounces,” he announced.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the package still accomplishes important goals, such as providing disaster relief, preventing a shutdown and stopping Republicans from passing a debt ceiling hike that would facilitate tax cuts.

“We have successfully advanced the needs of everyday Americans, but there is still work to be done and we look forward to that fight in the new year,” he told reporters.

Trump’s request to raise the debt ceiling was soundly rejected by the House of Representatives – including 38 Republicans – on Thursday.

The federal government spent roughly $6.2 trillion last year and is more than $36 trillion in debt, and Congress will have to act to authorize further borrowing by the middle of next year.

Rep. Rich McCormick, one of 34 Republicans who voted against the bill, said it does nothing to change the country’s fiscal trajectory and will only add to the debt. “We’re going to be a country of the past if we keep doing what we’re doing,” he said.

The last time the federal government shut down was for 35 days during Trump’s first term due to a dispute over border security.

Previous fights over the debt ceiling have spooked financial markets, as a bankruptcy of the US government would cause credit shocks around the world. The cap is suspended under the deal, which technically expires Jan. 1, though lawmakers likely wouldn’t have to take up the issue until spring.