2 MAGA Republicans Just Brutally Stabbed Trump In Back Before Inauguration
Over the weekend, 38 Republican lawmakers defied President-elect Donald Trump’s requests on a critical government funding measure, creating uncertainty around his proposed multibillion-dollar deportation plan.
Amid intense negotiations narrowly averting a government shutdown, Trump faced his first major test of influence over House Republicans — and the results were far from ideal.
A faction of ultra-conservative Republicans rejected his Elon Musk-endorsed proposal to raise the debt ceiling, despite Trump’s landslide electoral mandate on November 5.
Even Trump’s vocal appeals on TruthSocial could not deter 38 fiscal conservatives, including Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Nancy Mace of South Carolina, from opposing the measure on Thursday night.
Ultimately, on Saturday, just hours before the deadline, Congress passed a measure to keep the government funded through February, avoiding a debt ceiling increase.
Marc Short, Trump’s former director of legislative affairs, commented that the rebellion “did not portend well” for the ambitious border security approach proposed by the president-elect. Trump’s mass deportation plan, estimated to cost more than $80 billion annually, has drawn significant scrutiny.
According to the American Immigration Council, deporting one million migrants per year would cost $88 billion. However, Trump has stated that the price of securing the border is “not a question of a price tag.”
While the majority of Republicans support Trump’s border initiatives, many are also committed to curbing fiscal spending and reducing the nation’s already substantial debt. Interest payments on U.S. obligations now surpass the entire defense budget, raising concerns among fiscal conservatives.
Texas Republican Chip Roy, one of the lawmakers who opposed the funding agreement, shared his reasoning on social media:
“My position is simple — I am not going to raise or suspend the debt ceiling (racking up more debt) without significant & real spending cuts attached to it. I’ve been negotiating to that end. No apologies,” he wrote.
Roy, an outspoken critic, likened the initial deal to a “crap sandwich,” saying, “We get this negotiated crap, and we’re forced to eat this crap sandwich. It’s the same dang thing every year. Legislate by crisis, legislate by calendar. Not legislate because it’s the right thing to do.”
Although nine Republicans who voted against the bill will be replaced before Trump takes office in January, many of the defectors secured their districts with significant margins in November. Of the 38 lawmakers who opposed the measure, nine won by over 30 points, and 25 carried their districts by 10 or more.
Trump faces the challenge of uniting the GOP to advance his border policies, especially with the party’s shrinking House majority. Assuming all of his Cabinet nominees are confirmed and replaced in special elections, Republicans are projected to hold a narrow 220-215 advantage.
To prevent the looming shutdown, the House approved a budget package at the eleventh hour.
The continuing resolution (CR), passed by the House, provides over $100 billion in disaster relief and farmer assistance, extending government funding until March. The 118-page bill passed with strong bipartisan support, 366-34, following hours of negotiations between Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Despite Trump and Musk urging Johnson to adhere to their preferences during talks, the final spending package was passed in the nick of time. Musk, who criticized the original 1,547-page CR, later praised Johnson for delivering a streamlined 116-page bill supported by Trump.
“The Speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances,” Musk posted on X. “It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces.”
Johnson expressed confidence as he entered the Capitol on Friday morning, saying, “We have a plan,” though he declined to elaborate. By Friday afternoon, he declared, “There will not be a government shutdown,” and reaffirmed the House’s commitment to passing a budget with disaster relief and farmer assistance.
Democrats criticized Republicans for abandoning the debt ceiling agreement negotiated over weeks. However, Jeffries instructed his colleagues to support the final proposal, reportedly telling them, “We will live to fight another day.”
To push Trump’s immigration plans forward, the GOP must find unity. Former ICE Director Tom Homan, serving as Trump’s “Border Czar,” emphasized the campaign’s broad scope:
“Bottom line: if you come to the nation illegally, you’re not off the table,” Homan stated. He added that Trump plans to reinstate the “remain in Mexico” policy to process asylum claims on the Mexican side of the border.
Homan also reiterated Trump’s signature promises to build a wall and secure the southern border, stating that the administration would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to combat migrant gangs as part of “Operation Aurora.”
This massive deportation initiative has sparked widespread debate, fueled in part by a viral video showing armed individuals tearing through an apartment complex in Aurora — an incident falsely linked to immigration by some accounts.
As Trump prepares to take office, uniting the Republican Party around his immigration agenda remains a critical and complex challenge.