The US is on the verge of shutdown because of Trump's stance. What the media say

The U.S. Congress has not passed the bill to fund the federal government. Because of this, the work of a number of government agencies may stop as early as December 21, and employees will stop receiving their salaries. This happened after criticism of the bill by President-elect Donald Trump. What the media write about a possible political crisis - in the digest of "Izvestia".

Financial Times: Trump criticized the agreement on funding the government

On December 18, the US House of Representatives was expected to pass a bill to fund the federal government, which was the result of an agreement between Democrats and Republicans. However, it was opposed in a joint statement by US President-elect Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance. As a result, Republicans voted against the funding bill.

If a new agreement is not reached, some federal programs would stop as early as Dec. 21, and government workers, including the military, would stop receiving paychecks. The temporary budget was supposed to be in effect until March 14. It includes funding for defense, air travel safety, regulatory agencies and national parks.

The New York Times: Musk backed Trump's criticism

Also actively opposed to the budget funding bill was billionaire Ilon Musk, whom Trump has gotten to work on government efficiency and spending cuts. Throughout the day, he continuously posted messages criticizing the bill on the social network X (former Twitter). Musk directly addressed Republican congressmen to demand that the budget not be passed.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had previously discussed the bill with Musk and his running mate, billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy. They discouraged Johnson from passing the bill, complaining about the excessive spending that the budget calls for. He responded by saying it was necessary to negotiate with Democrats, who for now control the White House and Senate.

CNN: Trump wants to increase the U.S. national debt under Biden

In a statement criticizing the funding extension, Trump demanded an increase in the US national debt. Its ceiling is expected to be reached already during Trump's second term. In this way, he decided to shift the political responsibility for this step to the incumbent President Joe Biden, who is leaving office.

For Democrats, the resulting situation could be an occasion to strike a blow at Trump's upcoming presidency. They can accuse him of unwillingness to respect the interests of ordinary Americans, as it will be impossible to avoid a shutdown and increase the debt limit in just two days.

NBC News: how the US will try to avoid a shutdown

Members of Congress will have little time to come up with a plan to avoid a shutdown. Speaker Johnson's team is discussing passing a so-called continuing resolution that would allow funding to continue at current levels, with disaster spending added.

Far-right Republicans who opposed the agreement with Democrats generally support extending the funding as is, with a slight increase in spending to help those affected by natural disasters.

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Fox News: Trump overtakes Biden in approval rating

Current US President Biden's approval rating has collapsed a month before the end of his term. 34% of Americans approve of his job performance, while 66% disapprove. Biden has lost four percentage points since October, reaching the lowest point of his term. Trump, on the other hand, was ending his first term with a 47% approval rating, and according to the latest polls, 53% of those surveyed now approve of his performance from 2017-2021.

Trump's current approval rating is 49%. This is his highest since leaving the presidency nearly four years ago. His vice president, Vance, has the approval of 35% of those polled.