President-elect Donald Trump has strongly opposed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposed spending bill, intensifying the pressure to avert a government shutdown on December 21. The bill, a 1,500-page continuing resolution (CR), aims to fund operations until March 14, buying time for long-term budget negotiations. Trump criticized it on Truth Social as a “betrayal” filled with “wasteful expenditures,” accusing Johnson of caving to Democrats.

Johnson, balancing fiscal conservatives demanding cuts and moderates fearing shutdown fallout, defended the CR as a necessary step to maintain government operations, including military programs and disaster relief. While Democrats largely support the bill, Trump’s influence has emboldened Republican hardliners like Matt Gaetz to oppose it, labeling it a “swamp creature’s dream.”

With the December 21 deadline looming, the stakes are high. A shutdown would disrupt federal services, delay paychecks, and hurt the economy, leaving Johnson’s leadership and the GOP’s unity in the spotlight.