♪ host: good morning on this friday, december 20. government funding expires tonight at midnight. republicans are huddling this morning to decide what comes next after 38 republicans and 197 democrats rejected speaker johnson's latest proposal to fund the government,a plan backed by president-elect trump. we want your take on the debate in washington. republicans, (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000. independents, (202) 748-8002. federal workers, we want to hear from you at (202) 748-8003. you can text us at that same number. all of you can at (202) 748-8003

. include your first name, city and state. join us on facebook.com/cspan or on x with the handle @cspanwj. joining us to tell us more about where we are this morning on this friday is michael snell. what is the likelihood of a government shutdown? guest: good morning. the likelihood is increasing by the minute here. you mentioned speaker johnson put his plan b for averting a government shutdown on the house floor last night. it failed. now leadership is back to the drawing board trying to figure out what they can do to appease president-elect trump and to avert a government shutdown. the path forward has been elusive. the clock is ticking with less than 24 hours to go until the

shutdown deadline. host: what is happening today, this morning on capitol hill? guest: they will be meetings and speaker johnson's office as there has been for the past two days. i have been staking at his office for hours and have seen top lawmakers with a diverse group shuffle in and out to toss around different proposals and try to figure out how to get out of this mess. i expect that will continue today. as you mentioned, it is a deadline day. the shutdown is officially just hours away. host: there was reporting the house freedom caucus asked for a meeting this morning with jd vance and others in the speaker's office. why the freedom caucus? guest: this would not be too much of a surprise. a number of members voted against the plan b johnson put on the floor yesterday,

including chairman andy harris and chip roy, a prominent member of the group. them wanting to meet suggest they are looking for a way out of the mess that appeases donald trump. they want to toss around ideas with the speaker and his team. it appears they will be meeting this morning to discuss ideas. i'm interested to see if they have any solutions that could pass the house but it still has to pass the senate. they will filibuster. any solution here by nature, by definition is going to have to be part partisan. host: there were reports last night speaker johnson said behind closed doors if anybody can get to 218, god bless them. what do you make of that? guest: i would note not being in the room you don't know if the comment was made in jest or seriously. it shows he's acutely aware of the pressure he's facing with is speaker ship on the line. conservative republicans

watching closely to see how johnson would handle this funding fight and influence whether or not he can win e gavel on january 3. it has upset and frustrated conservatives. host: from emily brooks at the hill, she tweeted last night, "asked representative ralph norman what is next. there is no plan. trump once this thing to shut down." -- wants this thing to shut down." is he calling for shutdown? guest: president-elect trump -- it was two days ago when it looked like it was going to be wrapped up quickly. this has hurled a massive curveball into the situation,

into the deliberations. jd vance said when he was leaving the capitol, it looks like they will get the shutdown they wanted. what donald trump and jd vance want, that remains will stop it looks like we are heading in that direction. host: a blame game started last night. who would be responsible for a shutdown? before the vote was taken and then 38 republicans voted against the plan on the floor. guest: that will be the question asked in these situations. the answer depends on who you ask. democrats want to place the onus on republicans for rejecting the bicameral deal negotiator struck this week. republicanwill vote to the deskoi to the vote last night instead of somdemocrats went to the floor we could have funded the government in a bipartisan manner.

when you have this blame game it will depend on who you ask. it will be a war of messaging and whose messages is more effective. host: senator kennedy said it is time for plan c, appear three week cr with nothing about the debt limit in it. but i don't know if president-elect trump will support that. what do we know? guest: that is the wildcard here, what will president-elect trump support. he hurled a curveball into the government funding negotiations with this demand the debt limit be increased. this was never being discussed. it is not inspected congress would have to deal with the debt limit until the summer. if trump is willing to renege on that demand, there could be a bipartisan agreement that can move forward. the debt limit is the main sticking point. democrats do not want to deal with the debt limit now. they don't want to give that to president-elect trump. a number of republicans are

against increasing the debt limit. that is one of the most difficult parts of these negotiations now. it will depend on if president-elect trump is willing to renege on the demand. host: talk about the parliamentary hurdles speaker johnson faces right now at 7:00 a.m. on these coast with a midnight deadline. how does he get something to the floor quickly? then when does the senate take it up? guest: when you deal with legislation it can go through the regular rules process or suspension of the rules. the regular process is more of a procedural process that requires the rules committee report out of procedural rule which governs debate on legislation, then the house has to approve the will

and the house has to debate and approve the underlying legislation. it is a multistep process. if you deal with the rules process, you just need a majority vote on the house floor to approve legislation. the problem is republicans throughout this congress have voted against rules as a way to boycott legislation and boycott leadership's play calls. suspension of the rules is the other option. you don't have to deal with those hurdles but they catch is that requires two thirds support in the chamber to pass, which means it has to be overwhelmingly bipartisan. those are the issues johnson is weighing right now as he looks for a path forward. he doesn't have enough republican support to get things done through the rules committee and then you have to make sure the senate won't use the filibuster, but a bipartisan deal would not be approved by president-elect trump and that is the pickle johnson finds himself in. host: we appreciate it as always. thank you for your time. guest: thanks greta. host: thehill.com.

republicans scramble for shutdown plan c. let's listen to the speaker of the house after his proposal on the floor last night failed. [video] >> very disappointing that all but two democrats voted against aid to farmers and ranchers and disaster relief and all these bipartisan measures that had already been negotiated in the -- and decided upon. the elite difference was we would push the debt to january of 2027. it was just last spring the same democrats berated republicans and said it was irresponsible to hold the debt limit hostage. what changed? it is really irresponsible for us to risk a shutdown over these issues on things they have already agreed upon. you need t the questions about that. we will regroup and come up with another solution. >> will you drop the debt limit demand?

host: a gaggle of reporters around speaker mike johnson last night after the plan b on the house floor failed. 38 republicans rejecting get along with 197, grants. --emocrats. aidnight deadline is facing washington. 7:00 a.m. on the east coast and we are getting your take on what is happening here in the nation's capital. i want to share another post on x from stef night -- kight from axios. "he says with 38 votes by republicans against a trump-backed plan, trump needs to send some emissaries appear to go eyeball to eyeball with some people. let's see if that can persuade." let's turn to all of you. anne in jamaica, new york. your take on this government funding impasse in washington.

caller: good morning c-span. i think it is ridiculous. it is a bunch of nothing. these people don't give a hoot about the american people. all they care about is themselves. they had a bill that had good stuff in it, cancer research, farmers. they don't care. it is just millionaires. they are not going to do anything for the common man. i think it is absolutely ridiculous. host: why do you say it is for the millionaire? caller: because the millionaires control this stuff. it's the people around trump. they don't care about the middle class and the people like us. i am 83 years old. they really don't care about us. they are looking at social security. what do they care about the average john doe? they really don't care.

they had a bill that had cancer research and it and different things in it. why didn't they just passed that bill? host: helen from greensboro, north carolina. independent caller. good morning to you. caller: stool pigeons. that is what i call them. they are millionaires just like that lady said. they want to give themselves a 3.8% raise while they give people social security, 2.5%, whici get. that would be $500 a yeafor me. i am ssick of these politicians. it is time we te them out. host: plan b, which is what failed on the floor last night, that plan was backed by president-elect trump, elon musk and vivek ramaswamy. a two-your suspension of the debt limit to january 2027.

it extended the farm bill and it had $110 billion in disaster relief, including $10 billion in aid for farmers. this legislation, this plan b, was slimmed down from plan a, which was 1500 pages. plan a was first rejected by elon musk and over -- in over 150 post on x. the donald trump panned plan a. senate republicans some rejecting that plan a so speaker johnson turned to plan b. put it on the floor. all the democrats except for two rejected. 38 republicans also opposing president-elect donald trump and speaker johnson. here is what the leader of the democratic party hakeem jeffries had to say on the floor about

plan b. [video] >> house republicans have abandoned the bipartisan agreement that we entered into in good faith. a bill that house republicans negotiated. gave us your word we would move forward together on behalf of the american people. it was a republican drafted bill that was posted by house republicans. then one or two puppet masters weigh in and the extreme maga republicans decide to do the bidding of the wealthy, the well off, the well-connected millionaires and billionaires. not working-class people. the bill that is before us today is just part of an effort to shut down the government.

unless we bend to the will of a handful of millionaires and billionaires. the provisions in the bill, particularly as it relates to suspending the debt ceiling for two years are designed to bring about a massive tax cut unpaid for for wealthy donors and for wealthy corporations. for millionaires and billionaires who clearly some of this congress are working for. this bill is validation for it. host: hakeem jeffries, leader of the democratic party in the house arguing against the legislation put on the floor. plan b by house republicans. plan a rejected by elon musk and president-elect trump. the winners are those who

control the flow of information to the largest numbers of people, for the right people at the right moment on the right topic. right now, musk controls both for the incoming governing party. this allowed musk's tweet storm, the defeat of the spending bill sharing domestically false information, including the size of a proposed congressional pay raise now dropped from the bill. the bill on the four last night did not include that pay raise. musk posted a claim that bill included $3 billion for new nfl stadium in d.c., but the provision also now stricken from the bill merely transferred the site of the old rfk stadium from the federal government to the district of columbia. musk said the bill funded a bioweapon's lab, it didn't. musk reposted a claim $60 billion for ukraine which it did not appear to. when musk tells x followers you are the media, it is true that

they are part of his media but that is different than declaring they are all all reporters trying to validate information before sharing it. duke. fairmont, west virginia. republican caller. caller: how are you doing? host: the government facing a midnight deadline. caller: well, i think they will have to deal with it. these democrats want more money, more money, more money. they are giving all the money to the foreign countries to fight and kill people. they don't get it. they do this every time. they wait until the very end and try to pass all this pork through so they can, you know -- it is the same thing. host: plan a, the 1500 plus page bill negotiated by speaker johnson with democrats over two weeks.

your thoughts on that plan, the first iteration of a year and spending -- year end spending bill? caller: they need to get rid of johnson. just like elon musk writing the whole -- host: no swearing. gary and berlin, new hampshire. democratic caller. caller: good morning and happy holidays to you. this is a shame this is going on. this should not be going on. these people in the house are holding americans hostage. we have to go back to white we are in this -- why we are in the situation we are in. there are mainly two people here to blame for the situation we are in. number one, merrick garland for taking so long to appoint a special counsel to investigate trump.

he should have appointed a special counsel almost immediately. number two, mitch mcconnell. mitch mcconnell should have voted to convict him in the senate immediately. host: convict who? caller: donald trump and the impeachment trial in the united states senate. mitch mcconnell -- host: you are tying the situation today those events months, years ago. caller: right. it should not be happening. this was classic donald trump. he would control a party and put politics over the people of this country. host: john in new york, independent. caller: thanks for taking my call. the first 20 when it's of this program, the topic you brought up was all democratic

condemnation of the republican party. there was nobody there to defend them. this is like watching the trial, a kangaroo trial. we have a defendant that has no defense. you have all these prosecutors saying this, that and the other thing. greta, this is not unbiased. what you claim that c-span is supposed to be, the unbiased view of government. just watch it. have your producers look over it. this is getting so corrupt. host: you tell me where we were leaning too heavily on one side? caller: don't criticize me. you can criticize me when i'm done. host: i was asking you to explain. you said we were by us in the first 20 minutes so explain. caller: i'm not going to explain nothing. host: ok, will move on. robert in washington, democratic caller. caller: hello?

host: good morning robert. caller: good morning. this is also obvious. plan a was a bipartisan bill. it was actually done. it was actually signed. then they came up with plan b. what happened in reality is, president-elect musk told trump to kill it. then vice president elect trump told republicans to kill it. and, the bill was killed. i know a lot of republicans out there right now woke up this morning feeling like, oh, we got duped. they are probably remembering that famous song, i hope we

don't get fooled again. my opinion, for all the bums out. host: why refer to elon musk as president-elect musk and president-elect trump as vice president elect? we heard that coming from democrats as well. what are you hoping to accomplish by saying that? caller: what i hope to accomplish is to open people's eyes and minds and perhaps eak out some intelligence. when people tell you you do not see when your eyes actually see, that is subliminal advertising. which was banned in the moviemaking industry because it is very powerful. i want people to have some

reasoning, some intelligence, some deep thought and set of just getting their ideas from fox news or something. host: roy in melbourne, florida. democratic caller. caller: it is the same old thing with trump. they had a package that was ready to be all worked out, ready to go through. just like in 20 or whenever that last shutdown was -- 2017 or whenever that last shutdown was, he poured cold water on it. it will benefit the rich by extending the debt ceiling. you don't put a debt ceiling in for a government shutdown bill. what are these people trying to do? the orange toddler needs to grow up.

diffie says he was to help all the people that elected him, why is he helping the billionaires out so much? that is what i don't understand. host: roy is a democrat in florida. kathy, independent in bellingham, washington. caller: good morning. i was calling because some of your callers had touched on it. it is a last minute interruption by the president-elect and who works for him. two -- number one, he loves causing chaos. he has been quoted as i am the storm. this allows him to make up whatever publicity he wants about this on fox news. he would love to have a shut

down through the inaugurations of -- inauguration on the 20th so he can say he fixed it. a bipartisan bill to keep our government funded. thank you. host: let's get a republican in here. richard in mechanicsville, maryland. you are next. caller: hello. this did not happen overnight. this has been going on for years now. these bills come in at the last moment. an omnibus bill. you expected a vote on this crazy stuff but the root cause of the problem is the leadership that are doing these things. they dumped this 1500 pages on these other members and they are supposed to read that within a

couple of days or whatever. host: are you blaming speaker mike johnson for this? caller: i'm blaming all of them. chuck schumer, johnson, those cats. host: do you think when republicans retain the majority in the next congress that your party should vote for speaker mike johnson to retain that top position? caller: it all depends on how this turns out. i don't know what's going to happen here. there are other things in the bill like the stadium thing here. with rfk, 175 acres that all the taxpayers of the country own and they want to turn it over to the city. that'extremely valuable property. they wt the new fbi building. what if they put it there with thstadium is on that 175

acres? thanks. host: richard in maryland, republican. this is from john bresnahan. kat cammack, one of the republicans who voted no says republicans will come up with a government funding bill after voting no on the cr. cammack ducked a question if whether johnson can remain speaker. no one is thinking about that right now, is what she had to say. senator mike lee, on the benny show last -- yesterday floating this idea. [video] >> how do we go forward and do this? we are going to need new leadership. we have got new leadership in the senate coming in the coming year. i believe the writing is on the wall, unless i'm just mistaken. it seems that new leadership in the house is almost inevitable. if that is the case, we need to go outside the box. we need to look to a different

place. the constitution and house rules require the speaker be a current member of the house of representatives. i propose -- the doge movement is enormously popular the house. new house members that are republicans, they can't get enough, including the people part of this process. doge will save this. if that is the case, they have expressed such affection, let them choose one of them. that would revolutionize everything we would now have governmt people, by the people and for thpele rather than this cartel which is systemically corrupt. host: senator mike lee floating 80 of elon musk or vivek

ramaswamy as speaker of the house. rand paul last night said this. "the speaker of the house need not be a member of congress. nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing elon musk. think about it. nothing's impossible. not to mention the joy of seeing the collective establishment lose their ever lovin'-- on the spending bills they have proposed. senator rand paul on that. government funding expires midnight tonight. last night plan b failed on the house floor. two democrats voted for it. 38 republicans voted against it, along with 197 democrats. john in elmhurst, illinois. independent. what is your message to washington this morning? caller: i think both sides are wrong. this is no way to run a multitrillion dollar government.

it is hard on troops. hard on the air traffic controllers and other government employees and everybody else. it does not need to be this way. decades ago, not now but decades ago if they did not reach an agreement there was a presumption that down the road they would have it fixed and they would continue to run the government. there was no threats of government shutdowns. the government continued. i'm not sure why. i don't think that is the law they can't do that anymore. at least it worked. host: john's thoughts on a potential government shut down. cnn and wall street journal reporting 875 federal employees -- 875,000 federal government employees could be furloughed. we want to hear your thoughts this morning as the government faces a midnight deadline.

the effects of a shutdown would be widespread. to keep the government funded a spending bill must pass both the house and senate and president biden must signed into law before friday's midnight deadline. the partial shutdown would begin at 12:01 saturday morning. what happens during a shutdown? the government offices continue essential workers but tasks deemed not essential are put on ice. paychecks stopped and many workers are furloughed until congress passes new funding. the white house controls how agencies operate during a funding lapse. the impact of a shutdown on the public will vary. transportation secretary in administration airport screening would continue. travelers might see longer security lines at the airport if unpaid tsa agents skip work. national parks are often closed. government services that many americans rely on an everyday life such as social security payments and u.s. postal service

mail delivery would continue. other critical services, work by the interdepartment to mature nuclear reactors -- work by the energy department to maintain nuclear reactors would continue, as with border control functions. americans interacting with agencies for support such as getting a new social security card could experience delays. environmental and food safety inspections have been delayed in past shutdowns. wall street journal this morning on the effects of a government shutdown. if that happened at midnight tonight. he heard from michael snell, congressional reporter with the hill, that that is likely. 7:30 a.m. on the east coast this morning. lawmakers are gathering up on capitol hill behind closed doors to determine what is next. we know from reporting on the hill that at 7:45 a.m. eastern

time the house freedom caucus members have called for a meeting in speaker johnson's office with the vice president jd vance. stephen -- vice president-elect jd vance. stephen in gainesville, florida. democratic caller. caller: good morning. i think when you have a bipartisan bill that was agreed upon some time ago and at the last second -- i do want to send eric get -- sound arrogant but a foreigner who is a u.s. citizen runs his mouth at the last second and the vice president trump jumps on it. elon musk things he can buy america and americas not for sale. i want to thank the republicans for the christmas gift you are

giving. our district has been so gerrymandered and forwarded that republicans can get elected and she's done nothing for her district. she's had a lot of pressure put on her. it is politics. you will not get your bridge or this or that if you don't for us. she's had tremendous pressure. host: it did include disaster aid, hurricane disaster aid and perhaps that is why she decided to vote for it. caller: how can you go from a bill that is bipartisan which the business of america is doing the business of america. it isn't making sure rich boys can dictate the will.

if there is a redo on the election right now, i think mrs. harris with the president of united states. donald trump loves chaos and this is what we got. if i was a federal employee, i would walk. host: will in tulsa, oklahoma. independent. caller: thanks for taking my call. i want to shout out to robert and washington, d.c. i love his comments. he is right on. the problem is money as always. it is not -- we all went disaster relief to go to north carolina, georgia, florida, all the states affected by that. we all want the farmworkers to get a subsidy to keep them above -- to keep them solvent so they can keep on producing our food. it all comes down to one simple concept.

the debt ceiling. trump once the debt ceiling removed -- wants the debt ceiling removed for the next two years so he can continue with his rampant spending. when he was president he spent $7.8 trillion. almost $8 trillion was spent. more money was spent in his administration than any other president in the history of this country. he wants the debt ceiling removed. that is his -- that is what he poo poo'd the bill because republicans kowtow and they want to remove the debt ceiling and then blame the democrats. they voted against it. no. the democrats voted against the wild spending for the next two to four years with trump in office starting in january. host: that was in plan b. increasing the debt ceiling for the next two years.

president-elect donald trump called for that in plan b. mario diaz baller tweeting out yesterday afternoon the old bill, the 1500 plus page bill was plan a that speaker mike johnson negotiated with democrats. the bipartisan agreement that was then shelved for new bill. the length of it was significantly less. i believe around 500 pages versus the 1500 pages plus. [video] >> keeps the government open. but my friends went to dubai voting no -- want to do by voting no is shutting it down. they are keeping that from

happening. this provides aid to farmers and ranchers. my friends favor the amounts. there's been no change in that regard. it ends that. this extends important protections for the american people. if a bill has something in it and you support everything that is in it and we continue the debt ceiling we have had the last two years, i am mystified as to how you go home and explain that. i wanted to keep the government open so i voted to shut it down. amazing to me. host: republican of oklahoma tom cole who chairs the appropriations committee arguing for plan b on the floor last night. it failed with 38 republicans and 197 democrats voting no. john in watsonville, california. republican. what do you think of the last 48 hours in washington?

caller: i want to look at the facts without partisan stuff. plan a was 1500 pages loaded with pork and bribes. oh, but it was bipartisan. yeah, because they all have their hand out. plan b was what? 500 pages. it was pared down. it was less money. there were no bribes and pork stuck in it. it was a clean cr. the l.a. thing that held it up -- the only thing that held it up as we can't vote to raise the debt ceiling. you know what? that debt ceiling thing was put in there to make them think before they appropriated money. you know what? they don't. they wait until the last minute and then they load up on pork like they did before, that 1500 page thing.

then they shove it down our throats and raise the debt ceiling another bunch of stuff. the debt ceiling deal has not saved us a penny. tell me, do you think the debt ceiling has kept our debt down? yes or no? host: you said no. we are getting your thoughts on it this morning. what do you think of congressman chip roy of texas who along -- was one of the 38 that voted no? he was vehemently opposed to raising the debt ceiling. caller: i honestly think of him? i think he is stupid. i think he's hanging on to that don't work anymore. it is being corrupted. it is used now by the democrats to wheedle more bribes and pork out of every appropriations bill. you answer me. has the debt ceiling saved us a penny on our debt? host: i am moderating the

conversation this morning. you can pose that question to viewers and others who will weigh in this morning on this midnight deadline lawmakers face in washington on this friday, december 20. let's go back to the floor last night. chip roy of texas was one of the 38 opposed to plan b that was put on the floor by senator -- my speaker mike johnson yesterday. it seemed republicans would not give him time to speak against the bill from their allotted amount of time. he was given time by democrats. this is what he had to say. [video] >> we are continuing to double down on things that are restoring the republic -- destroying the republic. we will increased the debt ceiling not just for trillion dollars. that is false -- $4 trillion dollars. we will increase the debt by $5

trillion. right here, by republicans. increasing the debt $5 trillion. what are you doing in the same bill? $110 billion unpaid for because you never have any ounce of self-respect to go and campaign saying you will balance the budget and then you come in here and pass a $110 billion unpaid for. [applause] on top of the $200 billion -- she won't agree -- but the fact is $330 billion. congratulations. you added to the debt since you were given the majority on november 5. it is embarrassing. it is shameful. yes, i think the bill is better than it was yesterday on certain respects, but to take this bill yesterday and congratulate yourselves because it is shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine.

that is precisely what republicans are doing. i'm absolutely second by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go forward and say you think this is fiscally responsible. it is absolutely ridiculous. host: republican of texas chip roy t floor last night arguing against speaker hnn's plan b back by esent-elect donald trump. before this came to e floor, president-elect trump called for chip roy to be primaried for his opposition to plan b. chip roy responding on x. "my position is simple. i will not raise or suspend the debt ceiling, racking up more debt without significant and real spending cuts attached to it. i have been negotiating to that end. no apologies." he cc'd donald trump, speaker

johnson, john thune, the majority leader in the next, congress, and the freedom caucus. daniel. silver spring, maryland. democratic caller. your thoughts on the debate and vote last night in the house as well as this looming government funding deadline. caller: good morning. incompetence. i'm a federal contractor and my wife is a federal contractor. there are no workplace protections for us. we will not get back pay. host: because you are contractor. is it because you are a contractor and you would not get back pay? caller: exactly. there is no one to bill because we are not putting in the hours. where is that money going to come from? my corporate ceo will get their salaries and then we hear a lot of fancy speeches on the hill about being furloughed and how this will affect us.

i know how it will affect us. i know exactly how it will affect me. i'm confused. i'm not sure if they know the people they are talking about. i'm not sure they understand they really respect the people. i called in on the democratic line. i usually align with the principles but i'm not sure they put their money where their mouth is. host: do you think democrats should have voted for plan b last night to avoid a government shutdown? caller: i understand the conviction. they don't want to get into elon musk's mr.. they make enough mischief themselves. they don't need to given to somebody else's. but there are practical considerations as well. people paying their bills. this is christmas. now looking at even affording

it. host: it sounds like yes. do you wish they had voted for this bill on the floor. caller: my knee-jerk reaction is looking get my mortgage and utilities. yeah. i do. host: lloyd is a republican in west virginia. caller: good morning. i think we have been going down a road 100 miles per hour in a 50 mile-per-hour zone. if you keep doing that you will have a catastrophe. that is what the biden administration has been doing. they know trump is going to try to cut things. that is what he's trying to do now. they don't want it done. it is like taking the bottle away from a baby. people don't want to be cut back but that is what you have to do.

he's not there to win the popularity contest like biden was. that is all biden and harris tried to do, be popular and satisfy everybody. the people in this country don't mind being in debt. debt ain't a big thing to them. ok, go ahead. everybody be in debt. some people get rich off having other people in debt. that is the problems we got. if they don't start doing something, cutting back somewhere, just cut everything. th is my opinion. host: lloyd in west virginia. some news this morning michael snell, congressional reported with the hill just put this out at 7:39. speaker johnson just told her colleague at the capitol there is a plan to avoid a shutdown and the house will vote this morning. he did not divulge specifics. "we have a plan so stay tuned.

we got a plan." the house expected to gavel in at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. whether they stay in and go directly to this plan reported right now will have to wait and see. leading up to that 9:00 a.m. gavel, we are letting you tell washington your take on this funding proposal, this impasse, and what do you think these lawmakers should do. mark in boynton beach, florida. in defeat -- independent. caller: good morning. former republican, now independent. i am hoping what happens is he takes plan a, strips out the increases to salary, strips out the bridge in maryland, then puts something to that on the floor so nobody can gripe. you address the concerns our

buddy raised. then we go on with life. host: you did not address the debt ceiling increase. should that be in the plan c? caller: you take plan a, there was a little debt ceiling in the original planning. a short one. no. that whole debt ceiling thing is for trump to get his tax cuts through. no question in my mind. host: why are you an independent now? you said you were a republican. what made you switch? caller: a transactional think er is a poor thinker. you have to think seven steps in a complex system like our government. you cannot think of one step. host: when was it you switched from republican to independent?

over this debate? caller: no. that happened when trump was running the first time. host: let me go to kenneth in watson town, pennsylvania. republican. caller: good morning. i really think they ought to scrap both a and b. maybe it is time we shut the government down. when we have it shut down, all these congressmen and representatives don't get back pay. maybe it is time they learn to live like the rest of us do. host: kenneth's thoughts from pennsylvania. two democrats voted for this plan b that was on the floor last night. they were congresswoman perez who represents the third district in washington state, very tough reelection battle. she won the first time around two years ago in the previous

election by a narrow margin. this time again. she voted yes with the republicans. the other democrat who voted yes was congresswoman kathy castor of florida. before the vote took place when democrats gathered yesterday morning she talked to reporters about scrapping plan a, republicans scrapping plan a. this is what she said at that point. this is early yesterday morning before the house voted last night. [video] >> thousands of neighbors are waiting for disaster aid, waiting for their small business administration loan. those are the loans that help people repair their homes. those of the loans that help small businesses get back on their feet. if you remember, the republicans did not replenish those funds

when they did the last cr. people have been left out in the lurch. everyday matters. every day there is a small business that fails and goes under because they don't have e funds to get back on their feet. there are people living in homes with no drywall, for they cannot live there and they are still in a shelter. this kind of chaos and dysfunction has real-world impacts on hard-working people. host: kathy castor. you've heard her early yesterday morning before the ve, getting emotional talking about the hurricane relief aid. that was included in plan b. she voted yes last night. republicans need to get serious. stop kowtowing to elon musk and offer a bill with broad high partisan support because floridians need disaster assistance now. house republicans have caused too many delays and diversions

as they can -- they grapple with rebuilding. we have been waiting for months for republicans to act. floridians are resilient that i voted to support families. congress and -- congressperson in u.s. history was reelected this last time around in a tough battle and she voted and voted present on the floor. 30 republicans voted with 197 democrats to oppose the legislation. st. paul, minnesota. democratic caller. good morning, alicia. welcome to the conversation. . i'm wondering how it is donald is able to wield so much power

that is not president yet. his policies for the doge, that is all great but joe biden is still president. the fact that donald trump has so much control over the congress is something i don't think i've ever seen and i'm 68 years old. the other question i have is how do the congressional members that are looking for a raise, how do they feel that race is justified? host: that was taken out of plan b. what failed on the floor. it was in plan a, a congressional raise. people objected, elon musk, there was an uproar so it was taken out. caller: great. that is good. my belief is that in the working world where i worked and most americans worked, if you're not

getting your job done there are consequences. i really feel if our congress cannot figure out how to do their job, which is to fund the government and right 12 appropriations bills, their baseline jobs. if they cannot do that within they scheduled -- schedule for working, i don't think they should be entitled to any raise and i don't think they should be entitled to any promotions to any higher levels. host: if they were to pass the 12 appropriations bills in order and avoid the on the bus, avoid -- omnibus, avoid the continuing resolutions we have seen over the last decade in washington, if they were able to do that would you then support a pay raise? these members of congress have not had one in years. host: that is how long it has been and i get it. i get that our government budget

is tight. i don't like the continuing resolutions. i don't like the lifting of the debt limit. host: would you support a pay raise if they can do it? caller: yes, i would. then they are doing their jobs. the way they drag your feet on things and wait until the last minute and then give us stress because they are not doing what they have been elected and being paid to do is just not right. it would not happen in the working world. they would lose their jobs. i don't understand how people can keep voting time after time for the same people who don't resolve their differences to the point where they can actually do some good for the american people. the people that are paying the taxes that support everything else. host: i want to read from the georgia recorder. georgiarecorder.com about the debate over a congressional pay raise.

in 1989 law created a cost-of-living adjustment but every spending bill since 2009 has included a provision blocking the raises from going into effect. the 1500 page bill, plan a, to fund the government released tuesday evening does not include such a provision, meaning the automatic pay increase was going to go into effect. members have seen an effective 31% pay decrease since 2009 when accounting for inflation according to the congressional research service. members of congress aren't salaries of at least $174,000, with more allocated for some leadership positions. a cost of increase is based on private sector wages. the maximum allowed for next year is 3.8%, which would bring the base salary to $180,000.

members argue they have to have two homes. they have to pay for two homes in washington which is expensive and where they live back home on a salary of $174,000 around that. let's go to rick in laredo, texas. independent. caller: good morning. thank you for receiving my call. i would like to maybe pause and reconsider the constitution and the bones of the constitution. our kids don't get any civic classes and it seems to me it's important to know at the core the constitution, all men are created equal, endowed by their creator with unalienable rights.

now they are talking about congress. congress has been passing laws by unanimous consent they forgo house rules, they don't tell the people they represent what they are passing. they pass it. this afternoon they may pass several laws that fundamentally change the constitutional essence of how the republic works. they don't even get a notice in the news. this is not the way laws should be passed. they should not be going behind closed not be going behind closed doors. we should be present in the conversation. host: rick in laredo, texas. it is 8:00 a.m. on the east coast. and the government in washington is facing a deadline by midnight tonight so sawed to the government, or they -- or the

government will go into a partial shutdown at 12 a.m. saturday morning. plan b failed on the floor last night and as we hurry -- as we have been talking about, we will continue getting your take on what happened in washington, the latest from michael schnell and her colleague, speaker johnson is on her way it -- ion his way in and td reporters that there is a plan to abort -- to wert a government shutdown in the hoe will vote this morning. "we have a plan and we are expecting notes this morning so you all stay tuned. we got a plan." that is what he said. the house is slated to gavel and at 9:00 a.m. eastern time and we will see if they remain in session or gavel out subject to the call of the chair meaning morgan negotiations are happening and they will come back to the floor with it, if they do, if they do have a plan

according to speaker mike johnson. on the floor last night, a heated debate between republicans and democrats over plan b put forward by speaker mike johnson and backed by president-elect donald trump. here is a glimpse of what republicans and democrats had to say on the floor. [video clip] >> yesterday a multibillionaire was apparently -- with apparently no working knowledge of government or of appropriations, a self-appointed president of the united states, elon musk, issued a marching order for house republicans to go against their own elected leadership and shut down the government. >> mr. speaker now north carolina needs our help. they need the help of this body. i am sure some folks will speak against this bill.

i urge you to think about the disasters that you may have experienced and what you have seen in the news and what you are hearing from me about the need. >> it was a republican drafted bill that was posted by house republicans. and then, one or two puppet masters way in -- weigh in, and the extreme maga republicans decide to do the bidding of the wealthy, well-off and well-connected millionaires and billionaires, not working-class people. >> can you imagine if the next two years will be like if every time the congress works its well and then there is a tweet or from an individual who has no official portfolio who threatens members on the republican side with a primary and they succumb? >> we will not be going back to the table, this deal stands. it will let you go back home on

christmas and explain why you shut down the government because we will not be doing it. >> i yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. roy. >> to take this bill yesterday and congratulate yourself because it is shorter and pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine. and that is precisely what republicans are doing. i am absolutely second by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go forward to the american people and say you think this is fiscally responsible. [end video clip] host: the debate from the house floor last night before plan b failed. 38 republicans and 197 democrats voting against speaker mike johnson's plan. we are getting your thoughts this morning on the debate in washington as lawmakers face a looming death -- government funding deadline midnight

tonight. speaker johnson entering the moments ago and here is what he had to say. [video clip] >>'s are going to be a different bill on the floor today? >> we are expecting boats this morning. >> you reached a new agreement? [end video clip] host: speaker johnson and cnn reporting that they are huddling behind closed doors with jd vance and members of the conservative house freedom caucus. several of them voted no on his plan b. your turn to tell washington and the decision-makers you think they shall do. ed in new york, republican. hello. are you with us. ok. naomi, marilyn. independent. caller: hello, good morning.

this is a glimpse of what we can expect to see over the next two years until people's eyes are opened and congress shifts back to democratic control. i am an independent. i look at each person on their merits. what has happened is astonishing. i should not say that because i saw trump increase the deficit by 7.8 trillion dollars. the republicans are entirely responsible for this debt. and the democrats come in time and time again and fix it. biden decreased the deficit by one point something trillion dollars. and enacted plans that would see the economy grow, supply chains

corrected so that we can be sufficient and not have to rely on other countries for things that they desperate -- that we desperately need. and there was a bipartisan plan, it was agreed to and signed. host: what do you mean signed? it was not signed by the president, president biden, and had to be how -- passed through the house and senate and then signed into law. caller: not signed into law. signed by the democrats and republicans, in other words they had agreed to it and agreed this is our plan and let's move forward. host: ok. understood. naomi and marilyn. i want to share with you what the president elect headset on truth social. "if there is going to be a shut down of government let it begin now under the biden administration, not after

january 20 under "trump." this is a biden problem to solve, that if republicans help -- can help solve it theyill." from donald trump this morning, that is his statement. your reaction to what you are hearing from the president-elect. carl in chicago, democratic caller. caller: i was watching the debate before the vote and everything. it was cut before they announced the outcome of the vote was. i know you do not control the cameras. so that was done by the republicans. the problem is this. the public is constantly told that they do not have any understanding about what is going on. the republicans have control of the house for the last two years.

they are supposed to write builds and builds are supposed to be -- write bills, and send the bills to the senate. the senate does their part and then they meet together if they need to to work out their differences. sometimes that cannot be done in that timeframe. the point is americans need to understand something. we are all here together. i do not agree with everything you want and i do not agree with everything you want. somehow to make things work you have to have some kind of process of working together. republicans do not want to work together. the bill that they put out yesterday had no input from democrats. the democrats were not a part of that. the thing is the one thing, if you do not have the votes you need to do what you need to do to get the votes. you cannot just say i'm going to

make you do what you do not want to do. you ain't got no choice. and that is what they are trying to do now. host: speaker johnson tried that and he did not have the votes and he negotiated with democrats and that was plan a. jan a republican in franklin -- frankfort, kentucky. a republican. caller: yes, this is really president-elect trump's first major interaction with congress. but i think the plan looks totally brilliant to me and i could be wrong. he put in a debt ceiling knowing that the freedom caucus would reject it. and i think he was upset with the representatives because i do not think representative roy understood what was going on. but i think will happen is that last night after all of this and speaker johnson took his

punches, the debt ceiling was taken off the table and this morning sure enough he is meeting behind closed doors with the freedom caucus and sending in the vice president-elect, jd vance to carry trump's message. i think this will pass with all republican votes on board. i think they will pick up more than two democrat vote. those are my thoughts. host: you must be watching capitol hill closely because you are right. vice president elect jd vance is up there behind closed doors in speaker mike johnson's office. meeting with members of the freedom caucus. they called for the meeting and we will see what comes out of that. and if mike johnson has a plan and he said that he does when he entered the capital this morning, what will it look like. rich got -- riskier -- richard, independent. good morning to you. i am sorry wrong button. let me go to -- is that richard?

in alaska? independent? jim in maryland, independent. hello. caller: hello. host: good morning. caller: i really think that the debt ceiling should really be separate from the continuing resolution. do what you can now to keep the government going, but do not extend the debt limit. host: ok. so what does this continuing resolution look like? you do not have the debt ceiling. do you have everything else negotiated with democrats were saying do not do that as well, just keep the government open? caller: everything that was already negotiated, go for it. and put a stop to the debt ceiling and renegotiate later. host: brad in pennsylvania, let's go to you.

good morning. republican. caller: i spent most of my life in texas, but now that i am retired i have moved to pennsylvania. i wanted to tell you i am behind roy 100% and he has the voice of the republican reporting -- he is the voice of the republican party, not the american people. i have been in american my whole life -- i have been a republican my whole life and i have whole life. if i could do over again, i would vote for kamala harris. host: because of this and what you are seeing right now in washington this week? because of president-elect trump? caller: i have got to tell you, when i saw the chaos that the speaker of the house amongst my pal -- my fellow up -- fellow republicans i was so embarrassed that i could not show my face.

and after being a republican for 40 years, this -- it would be easier to burn it down that it is to build it up. and that is why as a republican and i have made a lot of money. i do not need social security. i have been in the 2% income earners in this country and out i am retired i am in the 10%, but i do not need it. i am so embarrassed that i have to apologize to the american people and i will think about when i do next time around and that is all. host: so it sounds like you voted in november for president-elect donald trump. caller: no. i voted for the republicans. i voted down ticket republican. i have done that for my entire life. but i had to because he was on the ballot. but, here we go again. listen to me. it is easier to burn it down

than it is to build it up. and what do we see? chip is my hero. of course, i am from texas. host: brad behind chip roy and his argument against plan b. put thereby speaker mike johnson and backed by president-elect donald trump. dictionary men of punch bowl news -- dick sherman tweeting out that "republican leadership is a very tense place right now. backbiting, mistrust, there is a widespread anger/fear of leaks. and there in an unending number of questions about mike johnson's future." lawmakers are awake and gathering trying to figure out what happens next. they face a midnight deadline. all of you, as lawmakers turn on their tv's in their office is in

washington, they are listening to you. what is your message to them about what happens next? lori in cleveland, ohio. democratic caller. caller: thank you for taking my call. first of all i have never seen anything like this in my life. donald trump is the president-elect. ever since he left office, he has been in mar-a-lago acting like he is president with his fake podium and now he has president musk with him. the only reason he wants to raise the debt ceiling is so he can spend trillions of dollars when he gets in there. i do not know why he has any say right now in anything. with his fake podium with a scooby-doo lunchbox and easy bake oven, it is a joke. as far as the pay raise, i am on social security and getting 2% and they are getting 4%?

i do not understand it. it is a joke. host: that was the congressional pay raise. that was going to be locked in pan -- in plan b. they did remove that provision that would have allowed members of congress to get a pay raise. steve in indianapolis, republican. hello. caller: hello and thank you for having me. i will tell you what. in my personal opinion, shut the damn government down and be done with it and let trump take it over and make things right. and he will do what he wants. it is all just a big game to them. you know, they want to hold everybody -- the democrats have done it to themselves. they played this literal liberal crab -- little liberal crab

for the past four years and accomplished nothing but division. so, i would say shut her down. host: so if you shut down the government until president-elect donald trump takes over on january 20, what do you think should happen with the speaker post? money congress opening day -- the new congress opening day is january 3. right away they will vote for the speaker of the house. who do you think it should be after what you have seen this week? caller: i think it ought to be the speaker now. host: mike johnson should keep his job? caller: he is doing what he needs to do to get things done and the democrats just block everything, block. i think shut her down. host: what do you make of

republicans who are not happy with speaker mike johnson? what he negotiated first, the 1500 page plus bill and now putting plan b on the floor and it not passing? he is right now in a meeting with freedom caucus members to decide the path forward. he needs 218 votes. what do you make of republicans in your party that are not happy with how he has handled the situation? caller: it is all a big game. you know. i say hey, shut the government down. they are a bunch of lowlifes anyway, republicans and democrats. i do not think they ought to be paid to go on to be in congress or the senate. host: ok. steve, your reaction to marjori taylor greene, republican. "i would be open supporting elon

musk for speaker of the house. doge can only truly be accomplished by reining in congress to enact real government efficiency. the establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. this is the way." elon musk for speaker. guest: i would -- caller: i would go for that. the guy knows how to cut stuff out. that is why he is a super billionaire. i mean you know, he knows how to trim the fat. and i just see congress on both sides, i just see congress and the senate up there just playing a little game with each other back and forth. and then they go off and have dinner together. and they laugh about it. that is the why i really see our government doing. host: steve's perception in indianapolis. hugh, oakland, california.

democratic caller. what does it say to these decision-makers? caller: i want to say that elon musk was the one who torpedoed the agreement. he is unelected. they had an agreement democrats and republicans to keep the government open. i do not know the planet that the last cover -- the last caller is living on. elon musk torpedoed it. this is not the first agreement that has been torpedoed by the house speaker among legislators that would add no additional cost to the government. before this the speaker torpedoed a land-lease to ukraine -- lend-lease to ukraine

where ukraine would've been able to keep on fighting the war and defending its freedom loving and religious i might add, citizens against kgb communist putin. it was taken out of the mdaa and it was done because of interference by the -- it is uncertain to eve -- two who did it, either the president-elect or elon musk. host: the role that elon musk has played this week in washington. democrats highlighted it frequently yesterday. here is richard neal on the floor. democrat of washington and top democrat on the ways and means committee. [video clip] >> your currency in this institution is your word. we reached an agreement.

we came to modest achievements. and a tweet changed all of that? can you imagine what the next two years will be like if every time congress works its will and then there is a tweet or from an individual who has no official portfolio who threatens members on the republican side with a primary, and they succumb? this institution has a separate responsibility based upon the separation of powers. members of congress do not serve under president of the united states. it is called the national principal. i am in favor of aid to north carolina. i am in support to aid to the farmers in missouri. we come to the aid of the american family and moments like this. but you walked away from your word. you walked away from an agreement.

that is what we are bothered by. a simple suggestion from the president-elect that you are to abandon that principle and this is what this is about. this is trying to raise the debt ceiling to disguise a big tax cut that they want to offer later on. [end video clip] host: richard neal. democrat of massachusetts and the top democrat on the ways and means committee on the floor before the vote took place on plan b. it failed, as many of you know. 38 republicans rejected speaker mike johnson's proposal and they joined 197 democrats. you heard richard neal talk about elon musk and the role that he has played. democrats have been calling him president-elect elon musk and giving him credit for what happens. elon musk yesterday tweeted out

video put out by c-span of akeem jeffries doing the same thing d reacted to it saying this " first of all i am not the author of this proposal. credit goes to president-elect donald tru, vance and speaker of johnson. second, thiis a much better built closer to being a real coinuing resolution, not an omnibus masquerading as a cr, but with support for hurricane victims and farmers etc." that was included in plan b, hurricane aid relief which many republicans insisted. aid to farmers and the farm bill also recovered -- also in that and spending levels kept as they are. a three-month extension of government funding at current levels and two year suspension of the debt limit to january 20, 2026 -- 2027.

republicans were arguing that anybody who voted against it was voting to shut down the government. listen to congresswoman and josh anna paulina luna of florida and her argument and how democrats reacted on the floor. [video clip] >> mr. speaker i have never actually voted for acr but i am here today because i realize that the plan that is on the table currently to keep the government open but also the promise from the only president in my -- in my lifetime that has followed through on his game plan promises to the american people. excuse me, i am not done hot talking. >> the house will come to order and my colleagues are reminded that the gentlewoman has the floor and she has the right to be heard. the gentlewoman has the right to be heard. and the gentlewoman would be reminded to direct her comments to the chair.

the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. >> for the only president in my lifetime that fulfilled all of his campaign promises to the american people as promised to cut $100 billion in reconciliation. you want to talk about shutting down the government. the deal was largely rejected by the american people which to speaker johnson's credit, pulled from the floor. the deal will keep the government open and if you guys do not choose to shut it down it will be on you but not the republican party. we will not be going back to the table. the deal stands as it is let you go back home on christmas and explain why you shut down the government because we will not be doing it. [end video clip] host: florida republican anna paulina luna arguing of no vote against plan b was a vote to shut down the government. do you agree or disagree? we are letting you be part of the conversation. the debate in washington

according to mychel schnell d her colleague. speaker johnson said there is a plan to afford -- avert a government shutdown tonight and the house will votthis morning. "he told reporters as they suounded him no specifics but he said stay tuned." the house is expected to gavel in at 9:30 a.m. eastern time. we will bring you to the floor and see what happens. we might come back here and continue our conversation with all of you if they immediately recess subject to call of the chair, meaning more negotiations are happening behind closed doors. gilbert. ohio. independent. until the we get there, what do you have to say to lawmakers in washington. caller: how are you doing? good morning. first of all i would like to say one thing, this is the second worst congress ever in history.

the only reason this is not the first worst congress, is that they renamed two bridges, which made it not to be the worst congress ever. ok? it is all because of the house. the senate always helps them out. it always gets them out of trouble. next, musk, an unelected civil servants, a billionaire or millionaire, whatever. he asks for help from obama because he was going bankrupt. and he asked for all kinds of money to help him get out of bankruptcy. host: gilbert in ohio. michael, smithfield, north carolina. republican. what do you say? caller: i say that it is looking good and the gentlemen and

ladies are in the rotunda and we will get something done today. host: why do you have confidence? caller: because we normally do get it done this late and i do not think it has ever been quite this late and i do not think last year was. i remember last year how it went down and it seems like every year we are in a budget crisis with a lot of disagreement. we have to get together and we have to get -- the president should not be involved that much until the final package is done. host: what do you think about folks that are saying shut it down? we heard from president-elect donald trump untruth social. if there is going to be a shut down let it start now. caller: that is horrible because you will furloughed the military during the holidays and that is ridiculous. how could republicans or democrats do that? host: you say they cannot let the government shutdown? caller: it will not be the end

of the world, but let's not let the ladies and gentlemen be furloughed. should speaker johnson put something on the floor. should he go back to plan a? caller: and then lose the speakership. that is what going to happen. he will have to do it for the people, not trump, biden or the democrats and republicans and this has to be done for everyone right now today, we cannot spend christmas eve and the rotunda, they will not allow it. and if they give this to a bunch of people in school they could get it done. if you ask i school students if you believe in christ or not and you cannot get it get a deal done. it would get past whether you believe in christ or not. host: your message to speaker johnson is avert the government shutdown, even if it means you

risk losing the gavel? caller: he is going to lose the gavel today if he does the right thing. host: richard in alaska. independent caller. good morning. caller: thank you very much. i appreciate your show. i was initially going to talk about -- i am 78 years old, and i was going to speak about my generation for social security and disability, and now i will switch it to the budget shut down. i want to say first off, as an independent i do vote republican and democrat. i voted for lisa murkowski in alaska and i voted for potala in alaska and i vote for who is proper and qualified. as this crisis is surfacing, i

am proud of the 38 republicans that voted with the democrats. and now i will say this, we have become a country that is allowing non-elected oligarchs to regulates and start to regulate -- to regulate and start to regulate how we run the country, meaning musk. we all know that trump is a yes, he did get elected and i respect the election process. i grew up watching the electoral process during the nixon-kennedy debates when i was 13.

i have never seen anything so ugly in my life. thank you. host: richard, i will move onto diego who is a federal worker in virginia. we are just hours away from a potential government shutdown. what are your thoughts right now and how are you preparing? caller: i am prepared to potentially have the government shutdown currently. more importantly we need a bipartisan deal. now we are in a position where it is blaming back and forth when the reality is you have one person who sent a tweet which should have no impact on the bill being proposed and he has full power. we are in a position right now that is scary.

it is scary to know that someone has that impact. host: diego, i want to read from you from the fox news producer on capitol hill. in anticipation of a potential government shutdown, fox is told that many federal agencies have instructed their employees to fill out their timesheets next week as furlough for each day. fox is also told that at least one agency that includes christmas day, it is unclear how they would handle giving back that day if there is a shutdown. the official federal pay date for this period is december 26. paychecks registry but it in december 23rd. paper checks were dishy but it on december 23 but the first official payday is january 29.

potential shutdown could impact the next pay cycle if there is a shutdown. federal workers are guaranteed backpay during shutdown under the anti-deficiency act. however, recouping a lost holiday like christmas is another issue. diego, your reaction to that reporting. caller: that is the thing. it will impact a lot of people. they might get their payback. a lot of americans might not afford to not have the paychecks they need every week or every couple of weeks. this could prevent -- present a big issue for people around the country. host: matt is another federal worker in virginia. did you hear what we just told everyone from chad program of fox news? your reaction? caller: yes, i did. it is really sad that each and every year we are back in the

same position where government employees are held hostage over these budget negotiations. it used to be folks would think nobody would shut down the government for an extended period of time. when president trump was in office in 2019 there was a shutdown that lasted 35 days. yes, federal employees do get paid retroactively in the event of a shutdown but how many federal employees or americans in general can afford to go without a paycheck? you have heard the saying, no matter how much you make, you live week to week, paycheck-to-paycheck. right before the holidays last time a lot of my fellow colleagues were forced to get unemployment insurance, apply for loans they could not afford. there is a real impact that folks cannot understand and

maybe it is part of congress's plan. you really start thinking twice about wanting to work for the federal government and the american people. is it worth this? you are in this position over and over again, constantly disparaged. it takes a toll on you and you start to think the private sector is a better option. a number of callers have said let's shut it down with no recognition of the important services that the government provides. is it ok not to process disability checks, inspect food? we are on the start of a new filing season. do you want the irs to answer your calls and issue refunds? these are things that have real life consequences. people need to be more thoughtful about the impact. shutting down the government should never be an option but unfortunately it seems like it as a bargaining chip in these budget negotiations.

as a federal employee who has decided, dedicated myself to working for the federal government, it is really disparaging, particularly right at the holidays. thinking about the holidays and spending time with family. i am wondering whether or not i will get furloughed and if i will miss a paycheck. host: does fox news have it right that the paycheck you would miss would be in january? caller: yes, the next paycheck would be cut in january. i will be able to count on that one but i have holiday expenses. if i am not sure about that one, that is a real concern to me. some agencies do not get paid on the same period. there is a difference where some could be in the middle of a pay

period and an agency would have to figure out how they would do that -- there were employees affected by the shutdown. host: how long does it take to get that back pay? >> it is usually over a pay period. it depends on the size of the agency. some have 100,000 employees and some are a lot smaller. it is an administered of nightmare for the agency instead of spending time doing their business of the american people, they are worried about making all of these federal employees whole again. it is not a good use of agency or employee time. host: matt, a federal worker in virginia.

sarah, maryland, democratic caller. caller: everything i have heard so far, richard has given the best reasoning. an agreement was reached. this is the m.o. of the trump cold. reach agreements, break them. the entire leadership team of the former republicans because they are not republicans anymore , in the house should immediately resign. mike johnson is not a speaker just like trump is not a president. he is a con man, an artist. he sticks his nose in and it always comes out in the end. i don't want to be blamed but i can blame everyone else. lies, cheating, fraud. everything. sexual assault. that's the m.o. people voted for this.

as far as elon musk, trump is the one who put him in. bought and sold by musk. that's what he did. host: we will go to ed in new york, republican. caller: yes. i would like to say one thing. first of all, good morning. i really feel that the american people have suffered enough in the last four years. the increase of living. the american people cannot afford to live as it is and we are giving our money away to bridge changes, wars. the american people need the money back and it is just out of the clear blue sky. democrats want to give themselves a raise. to heck with the american

people. host: where are you? did you support plan b that was put on the floor that failed by president-elect donald trump? caller: i feel that no matter what, the american people will suffer with the government shutdown. we are already suffering. we are trying to live. host: what should your party do? at 8:42 a.m. on the east coast, what should your party do? caller: i think they should really stop and think about what should be going on and start caring about the american people. it is a shame that they have to do a shutdown but it is everybody's way of living. just shut this down so everyone else can suffer. get together, work together. host: a republican in new york. let's listen to speaker mike

johnson entering the capital just before 8:00 a.m. eastern time this morning surrounded by reporters. [video clip] >> will there be a different bill on the floor today? >> we are expecting votes this morning. stay tuned. >> you have reached a new agreement? >> we will see. host: ryan nobles's video. reporters gathering around the speaker as he goes behind closed doors. there is a meeting scheduled for the freedom conquers -- freedom caucus, the conservative wing of the republican party. many voting no yesterday. meeting with jd vance, vice president-elect, the speaker and others to pay a way forward. -- pave a way forward. republicans need 218 votes. if they can get all the republicans to support plan c, whatever that is.

you heard mike johnson say he has a plan. they will vote this morning. they will gavel in an 15 minutes or they bring it up as a suspension rule which requires two thirds of the house to vote in favor of it to pass. that would require democrats to get on board. president elect trump this morning also posting this, putting his finger on the scale. if there will be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the biden administration, not after january 20 under trump . this is a by them problem -- this is a biden problem but if republicans can solve it, they will. daniel is on the line for republicans. what do you say to these lawmakers in washington? caller: good morning. it is frustrating, listening to the callers this morning, just

shut the government down. there is a lot of federal employees that people are not taking into account. tsa employees, the coast guard. all of these people will be going without pay in the holiday season. people seem ruthless. it is the federal employees fault. these funds were prorated by congress previously. we are doing the best that we can. it feels like a betrayal. host: daniel, you are a federal worker. which agency do you work for? caller: i work in washington, dc. host: your wife what? caller: she is also a federal employee. host: what were you told yesterday? were you told anything before you left the office? caller: i am incredibly fortunate that i am mission essential so i will be going to work regardless. my wife is in a different

bucket. she will definitely be furloughed if something is not passed in the next couple of days. host: if you are mission-essential, do you get paid still? caller: yes, i will. host: ok. your wife is not so she will be furloughed? caller: that is correct. host: what paycheck will she miss? does she know? caller: no. everyone is still scrambling to come up with a game plan. we will wait and see and hope for the best. host: as federal workers, both of you in this household, do you plan for government shutdowns? do you have savings? caller: yes, definitely. this has become the norm for most government contractors or civilians. this has become the norm. everyone sets their watches to every october, holiday season. everyone is used to it at this

point. host: ok. brenda in manchester, washington, democratic caller. good morning. caller: good morning. first i want to say people blaming democrats for this is outrageous including the incoming president. the republican congress essentially took office, since they took over, they have not been able to pass any spending on their own without relying on democrats. democrats have helped them over the finish line everything will time. there was a deal but this time they said we are tired of this. there was a deal. i want to remind everybody i have never heard a democrat call for shutdown. republicans call for the shut including the president. the incoming president. what do you not see about this man? they have read his statement multiple times.

if you want to shut it down, shut it down now but not for me. not for me. shut it down from under biden. it is his fault even though my main guy elon musk who has williams in federal contracts, shut it down -- elon musk who has billions shut it down but not under me. he is a narcissist who does not care about anything but his bottom line. i don't understand how he was elected again. he was elected by telling everyone that all of your problems are because of illegals. my husband was a retired federal employee. he was essential, very high up there. even though he was paid -- the nightmare that they have to go through, especially with all of

the contingencies and the planning. he was a moneyman, responsible for allocating money for the pacific fleet. they shut down business -- this shut down business is nonsense. host: i will get a republican in. james in texas. you just heard from that democrat arguments of why they should not be in this position and also blaming your party. how do you respond? caller: she's just like most democrats, kind of ridiculous. trump got 77 million votes. he is going to get this thing straightened out. republicans, they are busting their tail trying to get this budget cut down and get the deficit under control.

the democrats could care less. they put in all of these bills at the last minute. that is what caused this silly mess. host: you agree with raising the debt ceiling so that the next congress can spend whatever it is that they want to spend, adding to the deficit? do you agree with that? caller: trump is going to get this done. if it does not get done by midnight, they have the weekend to work on it and they will get it done. they will get the thing done. what i am curious about is what came out in the wall street journal, the four year cover-up by the democrats lying about biden. the whole white house has been lying for the last four years. that is what they do. they said the border was secure. they lied. they said biden was great. he is sharp as a tack.

they live. -- they lied. host: james, i will show that story from the wall street journal. white house made adjustments for an aging, diminished biden. this morning ahead of congress, the house gaveling in on c-span1. we will bring you live coverage. ahead of that, we are asking a reaction to this debate in washington over government spending. they are at an impasse and facing a midnight deadline to fund the government or there will be a shut down at 12:01 a.m. on saturday. last night on the house floor, plan b failed. right now gathering on capitol hill, lawmakers, leadership are trying to decide a path forward. what do you think they should do? dave an independent in ohio, let's hear from you. caller: i have been listening to

a lot of the callers. they have me in an upper -- in an uproar. we the people, we decide who we will vote for. hopefully they will do the right thing. but it turns out they get in that office and they want to do just the opposite. they don't care about nothing but themselves. if it comes to the government shutdown, i think they should all stay there until they get a bill passed. if they shut down, i don't think they should get their paychecks. that's the way i see it. think of a lot of federal workers. those are people with limited them come. -- limited income. they will all be hurting. it is unbelievable what this

country is coming to right now. host: dave in ohio. democratic caller, frank in maryland. hi, frank. caller: yes. i just want to remind the american people how we got here. ronald reagan, is a regional reason -- his original reason for tax cuts was to starve the beast, causing deficits that would force congress to get rid of all of the social welfare legislation. to get rid of everything but defense. we are now seeing what happened. we have gone from less than $1 trillion in deficit to whatever it is now, $35 trillion. now the republicans want to add another $5 trillion in tax cuts? one thing, they allow congress

to write bankruptcy laws. i think it is time for congress to write bankruptcy laws enabling the federal government to declare bankruptcy. that is where we stand. host: frank's thoughts there in maryland. from capitol hill, a reporter puts this out this morning, a few minutes ago. representativenn luna comes out of the speak's office and says that they are close to a deal and that there will be no deal with the democrats, says there will be votes at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. it will be something very similar to yesterday, she said. 10:00 a.m. eastern time she says there will be votes. the house will gavel in at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. we will see if they remain in for that 10:00 a.m. vote or if they gaveled back out while they continue to negotiate and

prepare for putting another proposal to avoid a government shutdown on the floor this morning. you can watch it here on c-span. live coverage of the house floor without interruption, without commentary, here on c-span, online at c-span.org. if you have to leave the house, download the free video app, c-span now so you can keep tabs on what house lawmakers will do. we are moments away from it. john in georgia, republican. good morning. caller: good morning. how are you? host: doing well. what do you want lawmakers to do this morning? caller: first, people need to stop blaming elon musk. elon and trump. the agreement for the first mike

johnson and the hierarchy of the republican party. it never passed the house and it was never going to pass the house. no matter what trump and elon said. why didn't the second bill passed? there were no corresponding spending cuts which is what i think chip roy and his caucus want to be at my question to you is what happens when the republicans come up with a bill that has spending cuts? i think it goes back to the senate. is that correct? host: the senate will have to vote at some point on the bill. whatever they put on the floor, plan c, whatever you want to call it, the senate has to vote on it before it goes to the president's desk to be signed into law to avoid a shut down. caller: let's say it goes back to the senate and they don't agree. whose fault is it now? host: what do you say?

caller: what do i say? they need to come up with a bill. host: whose fault is it? caller: if you blame the republicans for this, you have to blame that the mcgrath that -- you have to blame the democrats for that. host: what do you say to majority leader chuck schumer, what do you say to him if he were to repeat what he has said which is we had a deal and at the last minute, speaker johnson pulled the rug from underneath us and put this legislation plan b on the floor when they come in today. what do you say then? caller: how did mike johnson pull the deal? it never passed the full house. host: that is your argument? caller: it was never going to pass the full house. host: they had democrats on board. democrats said they would vote for it.

so it would have passed with democrats support. caller: all of the republicans would not vote for it. 48 republicans did not vote for the second bill which trump and elon musk supported. what makes anybody think the first bill would have passed? host: elon musk tweeting this morning in reaction to congressman dan bishop saying in five years in congress, i have been waiting for a fundamental change in the dynamic, it has arrived. posting at elon musk. elon musk response saying, by now they should know that i mean what i say. we are waiting for the house to gavel in 9:00 a.m. eastern time. we will go there when we see the doors of the house chamber. angelo in florida, an independent. we may have to go quickly but share your thoughts with us. caller: good morning. i am really tired of the blame