Warning signs for Trump as Republican rebels defiant

Warning signs for Trump as Republican rebels defiant
The government shutdown showdown of December 2024 is becoming the first big test of president-elect Donald Trump's influence over Republicans in Congress.

At least so far, he is struggling, with the chaos of the last 24 hours showing some of the limits of his power and control of his party as he prepares to re-enter the White House.

One day after Trump derailed a bipartisan government funding bill - with a big assist from tech multibillionaire Elon Musk - he issued a new demand, for a stripped-down government funding bill that would also raise the limit on how much new debt the federal government can issue to fund its spending.

It was a big ask for many congressional conservatives who have long demanded that any debt increase at least be accompanied by cuts to what they view as out-of-control government spending.

Trump's demand was also a tacit admission that his legislative agenda, heavy on tax cuts and new military spending, was unlikely to deliver the kind of reduction to America's enormous federal deficit that many on the right have been hoping for.