©  Greg Nash

SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON HAS A MESS on his hands as Congress faces a Friday deadline to pass a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

What started as conservative grumbling about spending levels in the Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government into March, has snowballed into a full-fledged revolt by some of President-elect Trump’s closest allies, who are deriding the bill as a pork-laden, omnibus monstrosity and calling on Republicans to vote it down.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump tapped to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are at the tip of the spear.

Musk spent the day lashing out on X, urging citizens to call their representatives and declaring that any member who votes in favor of the bill should be voted out of office.

“"Shutting down" the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill,” Musk posted on X.

Ramaswamy said the spending bill is “like showering cocaine on an addict.”

“This bill should fail,” he said.

Donald Trump Jr. piled on, pointing to a provision he said would hamstring GOP efforts to investigate Democrats.

“The American people didn’t vote for this … this cannot pass," he said.

Some GOP members are angry at having to pick between a shutdown or a vote in favor of a 1,547-page spending bill they despise.

Rep. Eric Burlisen (R-Mo.) called the bill a “dumpster fire,” while Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) called it a “crap sandwich.”

Congress has until midnight on Friday to pass a bill to keep the government open.

There is chatter that Johnson could try to fast-track the bill, doing away with the traditional 72-hour review period to push it through tonight or early Thursday.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) blamed Trump for the chaos, posting on X:

“What does President Trump want Republicans to do: vote for the CR or shut down government? Absent direction, confusion reigns.” 

Johnson is making a lonely push to pass the bill with Democratic support, while suddenly facing questions about his future.

This just in: The Hill's Mychael Schnell reports that Johnson is considering a plan B to keep Trump and those in his orbit happy. Read the latest here. 

The Speaker said Wednesday on "Fox & Friends" that he’s on a text chain with Musk and Ramaswamy, and that he explained to them that with only a “razor thin margin” he had no choice but to cut a deal with Democrats.

He said the short-term CR will buy Republicans time until they have Trump in the White House and majorities in the House and Senate.

"By doing this, we are clearing the decks and we are setting up for Trump to come in roaring back," he said.

The bill includes roughly $100 billion in disaster relief for the Hurricanes Helene and Milton; $30 billion in economic assistance for farmers; a pay raise for lawmakers; and a provision that allows lawmakers to opt out of ObamaCare.

“We’ve had to add things to that were out of our control,” Johnson said. “These were not man-made disasters. These are things that the federal government has an appropriate role to do. So I wish it weren’t necessary. I wish we hadn’t had record hurricanes in the fall.”

Could backlash against the bill ignite a challenge to Johnson as he seeks another term as Speaker in January?

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) posted on X that the bill reveals Johnson to be a “weak, weak man.”

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told Punchbowl News he will not back Johnson for Speaker next term.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted ominously on X:

“The Christmas CR lump of coal comes with a warning. Beware the Ides of March.”

The spending fight isn’t the only issue splitting Republicans.

• Republican senators are battling over a proposal to increase Social Security benefits for people who are eligible for non-Social Security government pensions. The legislation cleared a procedural hurdle Wednesday, but some Republicans who are worried about the price tag could still try to kill it.

• Some Republicans are baffled by Trump’s proposal to end daylight saving time.

“I’m confused,” said Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.). “I think he just doesn’t want the clocks to go back and forth.”

• Trump is warning Senate Republicans against cutting a deal with Democrats to fast-track a final batch of President Biden’s nominees before adjourning later this week.

These internecine feuds could be a harbinger for the next Congress, when Republicans will have an even slimmer House majority.

Republicans will hold 220 seats to 215 for Democrats, but the GOP will be down three members for several months. There will need to be special elections to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who resigned, and Reps. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who will be joining the Trump administration.

The House Ethics Committee voted secretly earlier this month to publicly release the results of an investigation into Gaetz, CNN first reported.

The panel had previously voted not to release the report since Gaetz had resigned from Congress.

In a statement posted on X, Gaetz slammed the House Ethics Committee, saying he’d been investigated for years by the Justice Department and no charges had ever been filed.

“House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body," he said.

In his statement, Gaetz admitted that in his “single days” he “often sent funds to women” he dated, but he insists that he “NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18.”

“My 30’s were an era of working very hard - and playing hard too. It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.”

Read more: 

• Rand Paul blocks bill to authorize local, state authorities to track drones.

• Senate passes $895B Defense bill; Dems defect over transgender fight.

• GOP senator blocks proposal to protect federal workers from Trump.

• Paris Hilton-backed youth welfare bill passes House, goes to Biden’s desk.

Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, even as inflation has accelerated over the past two months.
  

   

• The Supreme Court will take up a case to determine whether a law that could ban TikTok nationwide violates the First Amendment.

   

• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing calls to resign and fighting for his job amid Trump's threats of tariffs.

©  Jose Lius Magana, Associated Press

President Biden is preparing to leave the White House with his approval rating in the tank.

A Marquette University poll released Wednesday finds Biden’s approval rating at an all-time low, with 34 percent approving and 66 percent disapproving.

Biden is currently at home in Wilmington, Del. Both Biden and Vice President Harris have cut low profiles since President-elect Trump’s election victory.

The New York Times has this report on Biden’s final days in office:

“Time is catching up with Mr. Biden. He looks a little older and a little slower with each passing day. Aides say he remains plenty sharp in the Situation Room, calling world leaders to broker a cease-fire in Lebanon or deal with the chaos of Syria’s rebellion. But it is hard to imagine that he seriously thought he could do the world’s most stressful job for another four years.”

Not all Democrats are walking away quietly in the wake of Trump’s victory.

Several federal judges appointed by Democrats have walked back their planned retirements, which will keep Republicans from filling their seats.

Via The Hill’s Ella Lee:

“Legal experts said judges have discretion to decide when to retire, and while walk-backs are rare, it’s become increasingly common to hinge those decisions on who’s in the White House to pick their successors and in the Senate to confirm them.”