How a routine spending bill turned Washington upside down

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—There was much to celebrate when House Speaker Mike Johnson walked into Mar-a-Lago to meet with President-elect Donald Trump just after the November election. But there was also pressing business, including a deadline to reach a government-spending deal.

Trump told Johnson he was concerned that the spending bill would be loaded up with pet projects to win votes. And he said he wanted to take care of a problem that would confront him in his new term: the debt ceiling. The goal, according to people familiar with the gathering at Trump’s Florida estate, was to provide a glide path as the incoming president prepared for a triumphant return to Washington in 2025.

This week it all unraveled. Trump narrowly avoided a government shutdown, and for the first time since the election, dozens of GOP lawmakers openly defied him. Johnson is facing a serious threat of losing Trump’s confidence—and the speakership.

The near-euphoric mood surrounding Republicans was briefly replaced by finger-pointing and intraparty squabbling one month before Trump takes office. The chaos might offer clues about what is to come. While Trump will preside over unified Republican control of Washington, his narrow majorities in the House and Senate mean he will have to keep fractious lawmakers together.

Social-media missives and primary threats might not be enough to persuade the most stubborn members of the Republican caucus. “We shouldn’t be in this mess," said Rep. Steve Womack (R., Ark.).