AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Is it deja vu or Groundhog Day? You might remember last December when there was a scramble to extend government funding. That extension ends this week. And now House Republicans are attempting another stop-gap extension, one that would last through the end of September. They released a continuing resolution yesterday. What's in it, and what does it mean for President Donald Trump's agenda?
Joining me now from Florida, where Trump is staying this weekend, is NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Good morning, Tam.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So tell us, what's in this new continuing resolution?
KEITH: As you say, it funds the government through September 30, but it basically punts the big decisions, the deep cuts that conservatives want, until later this year. It keeps the top line budget number the same as the last fiscal year, but shifts around some funding. It increases defense spending and decreases nondefense spending. It boosts funding for immigration enforcement but doesn't include additional disaster assistance for the California wildfires or the hurricanes last year.
In short, it's meant to keep Congressional Republicans content and buy time for them to work on what President Trump really wants, which is big tax cuts and a significant boost in immigration spending. Yesterday, he posted on his Truth Social account, saying, this is a very good bill under the circumstances, and all Republicans should vote yes, please - exclamation point.
And give him, and presumably Elon Musk's DOGE team, more time to find cuts. He says, quote, "we have to remain united. No dissent. Fight for another day when the timing is right. Very important."
RASCOE: OK, well, the president is saying, please. But what's the political reality that the CR is being introduced into?
KEITH: The President's party controls both the House and the Senate but narrowly. And typically, even when Republicans are in power, these sorts of funding bills haven't passed without Democratic support. Democrats are rallying against it, saying, the way it's written hands way too much power over to the White House to determine which programs are cut.
The hope for Republicans is to pass it on GOP votes alone in the House, jam the Senate and then blame Democrats if the government shuts down on Friday night. But the only way that has a chance of working is, as if President Trump pleaded, there is no dissent among Republicans.
RASCOE: Now, I mentioned you're in Florida with the President, and Elon Musk is there, too. Like, what's the weather like? And by weather, I mean the atmosphere surrounding Musk work on behalf of Trump.
KEITH: Well, with sunny skies overhead yesterday afternoon, Trump posted in all caps, Elon and Marco have a great relationship. Any statement other than that is fake news - three exclamation points. He's responding to reports that Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a blowup in an unannounced and not televised cabinet meeting late last week.
And the upshot coming out of it was that Musk and his DOGE team would make suggestions for spending cuts and reductions in force but that it would be up to the cabinet secretaries to make those decisions. This came after a lot of blowback and numerous reversals in firings and other cuts made at the direction of DOGE. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick described the meeting on Fox News on Friday.
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HOWARD LUTNICK: Donald Trump came into the room, and he said, look, I want to support Elon. We want to cut. But we want to cut like a scalpel.
KEITH: As a reminder of the context here, not long ago, Musk was literally waving around a chainsaw at a conservative political action conference. It was an analogy for DOGE that Musk embraced.
RASCOE: Well, Tam, I mean, I do have to kind of point out here, like, it seems like there's a big difference between a scalpel and a chainsaw. I mean, at least, like, if I were doing surgery, I would feel like there's a big difference.
KEITH: Oh, there is a big difference. And I want to tell you about something else that I observed on this trip down to Florida that is symbolic of the relationship between Musk and Trump. President Trump traveled with his chief of staff and other top aides. Lutnick was there, Musk, too. And when we arrived in Palm Beach, Trump came down the tall ceremonial stairs at the front of the plane and was trailed close behind by his father-in-law and Elon Musk.
It is traditional for the president and members of his family, if they're traveling with him, to use that front staircase. Everyone else, including Lutnick, who is a cabinet secretary, used the staircase at the rear of the plane, which is also the custom. Musk just occupies a unique place in this administration.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Tamara Keith. Thank you so much for joining us.
KEITH: You're welcome, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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