A fiscal showdown in Washington that nearly triggered a government shutdown just days before Christmas demonstrated both the power and limits of President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to oust congressional Republicans who rebuff his directives.
Encouraged by billionaire backer and close confidant Elon Musk, Trump—48 hours before the federal government would have run out of money and shut down—blew up bipartisan legislation to fund the government through mid-March that House Speaker Mike Johnson had painstakingly negotiated for weeks with Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress.
David M. Drucker is a senior writer at The Dispatch and is based in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the company in 2023, he was a senior correspondent for the Washington Examiner. When Drucker is not covering American politics for The Dispatch, he enjoys hanging out with his two boys and listening to his wife's excellent taste in music.
