Getty ImagesThe US House of Representatives has voted against a Donald Trump-backed funding measure, bringing a government shutdown this weekend a step closer.A revised spending plan failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed in the lower chamber of Congress, with 38 Republicans voting against the bill on Thursday night, defying the president-elect.Trump had thwarted a previous cross-party funding deal that the Republican House leadership had struck with Democrats, after heavy criticism of the measure by tech billionaire Elon Musk. After the bill failed by 174 votes to 235, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would come up with another solution on Friday before government funding lapses at midnight.The Trump-approved replacement bill would have tied government funding to a two-year suspension of the federal debt limit, which determines how much the government can borrow to pay its bills. Republican rebels objected because they oppose increases in government spending, while Democrats voted against it because they said the extra borrowing would be used to give tax cuts to the wealthy.Here are five things to know about the possible government shutdown:1. How we got hereThe now-looming government shutdown can be traced back to September, when another budget deadline loomed.Johnson failed to pass a six-month funding extension. Mostly Democrats voted against the extension, which included a measure (the SAVE Act) to require proof of citizenship for voting.Instead, Congress came to a bipartisan deal for a bare-bones bill that would keep the government funded through 20 December.Johnson pledged to his Republican conference then that come December, when the funding was set to expire, they would not have to vote on an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink spending bill ahead of the holiday recess. But when congressional leaders released the text of the latest spending bill on Tuesday, three days before lawmakers were set to break for the holidays, it totalled 1,547 pages. The bill would have extended government funding until March 14 – nearly three months after Trump is set to return to the White House.It included more than $110bn (£88bn) in emergency disaster relief and $30bn in aid to farmers; the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009; federal funds to rebuild a bridge that collapsed in Baltimore; healthcare reforms; and, provisions aimed at preventing hotels and live event venues from deceptive advertising.Some Republicans criticised Johnson for abandoning a more basic spending bill, specifically condemning left-leaning provisions that were negotiated to win support from Democrats.Johnson defended the deal, putting the blame on “acts of God” for needing some of the added provisions, like disaster aid and assistance for farmers.2. Trump, Musk tank bipartisan planStill, opposition for Johnson’s spending deal grew on Wednesday.Musk, who Trump has tasked with identifying spending cuts by co-leading the Department of Governm …
