Donald Trump Says 'Stupid' Republicans Supporting CR Bill Should Be Primaried

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What's New

President-elect Donald Trump has said any Republican lawmaker who backs a continuing resolution (CR) without including an increase to the debt limit should face being primaried.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "If Republicans try to pass a clean Continuing Resolution without all of the Democrat 'bells and whistles' that will be so destructive to our Country, all it will do, after January 20th, is bring the mess of the Debt Limit into the Trump Administration, rather than allowing it to take place in the Biden Administration. Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried. Everything should be done, and fully negotiated, prior to my taking Office on January 20th, 2025."

Newsweek has contacted the Trump transition team for comment via email.

Why It Matters

The government will shut down from Saturday unless Congress votes to pass a short-term funding bill.

A bipartisan spending plan to keep federal agencies funded through March 14 was proposed by congressional leaders on Tuesday. The continuing resolution has been rejected by several Republicans, who criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson for negotiating with Democrats to include provisions such as $100 billion in emergency aid for states affected by recent natural disasters.

Trump's call to raise the debt limit before he takes office adds pressure on Johnson to renegotiate the terms of the spending bill within the limited timeframe to avoid a government shutdown.

What to Know

The debt limit is the total amount of money the government can borrow to meet its legal obligations. This includes Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, and interest on the national debt.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy spent months negotiating a deal with President Joe Biden in 2023 to lift the debt ceiling, with the current limit set to expire in 2025.

The Treasury Department warned at the time that failing to increase the debt limit would have "catastrophic" consequences for the economy, creating an "unprecedented" scenario in which the government would be forced to default on its legal obligations.

If Congress passes the short-term spending bill as it stands, the government will avoid a shutdown, but the issue of raising the debt ceiling will need to be addressed by Trump during his second term in office.

In a joint statement, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance called allowing the country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025 the "most foolish and inept thing ever done" by congressional Republicans.

"Increasing the debt ceiling is not great, but we'd rather do it on Biden's watch," the statement added.

"If Democrats won't cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let's have this debate now. And we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn't give [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want."

What People Are Saying

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham told The Associated Press: "I don't know how this plays into things. I do know this—we don't want to default. There are a lot of Republicans who will never vote to raise the debt ceiling for ideological reasons."

South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds on negotiating the debt ceiling within the timeframe: "I don't know how we do that. I mean, I'm open to ideas on it, but I don't know how we do that."

Vice President-elect JD Vance following a meeting with Johnson and GOP lawmakers on Wednesday night: "We're in the middle of these negotiations, but I think we'll be able to solve some problems here."

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a Wednesday press conference: "House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt everyday Americans all across this country. House Republicans will now own any harm that is visited upon the American people that results from a government shutdown or worse."