Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) plan to avoid a government shutdown faces a narrow path to passage as multiple House Republicans quickly indicated they won’t vote for it.
Earlier Saturday, Johnson unveiled his plan, revealing he has chosen to try and pass a “two-part” continuing resolution where someappropriations bills will be extended to mid-January and the rest into February.
Due to the fact his plan doesn’t cut government spending, it is likely to garner some Democrat support, at least in the Senate, as it is effectively a clean continuing resolution. But, while this will likely help win over Democrats, it does complicate matters for Johnson as he is expected to lose conservative support for the resolution.
THERE IS NO SINGLE SOLUTION TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’S ELECTORAL PROBLEMS
Not even an hour after the continuing resolution was unveiled, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) came out against the measure on social media.
“It’s a 100% clean. And I 100% oppose,” Roy posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who earlier Saturday took a swipe at Johnson’s speakership, also came out against the measure on X, saying she “voted NO to both CRs before and I’m voting NO to this clean CR.”
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), said on X: “The current short-term funding proposal includes a 1-year extension of the Farm Bill (no reform), status quo policies, and status quo funding levels. Disappointing is as polite as I can muster. I will be voting NO.
“Hopefully, the consensus will result in a more reasonable bill.”
Separately, the White House also released a statement dismissing Johnson’s plan.
“This proposal is just a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns—full stop. With just days left before an Extreme Republican Shutdown—and after shutting down Congress for three weeks after they ousted their own leader—House Republicans are wasting precious time with an unserious proposal that has been panned by members of both parties,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “An Extreme Republican Shutdown would put critical national security and domestic priorities at risk, including by forcing service members to work without pay.”
On a Republican member call on Saturday, Johnson warned that if this plan is unsuccessful because Democrats and the Senate don’t get on board, then he is done with short-term continuing resolutions and will instead move to a year-long measure. This year-long stop-gap measure, Johnson said, would implement an 8% cut across the board to all non-defense spending, which will result in about $40 billion in cuts and defense spending “comes out flat with without losing much.”
“If you can’t get the final bills finished under this timeline, with good conservative wins, then we’re just going to go with the most painful version of a full year CR, that will result in large across-the-board non-defense cuts,” Johnson said.
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He also address likely opposition, saying he knows that not “loading this one up with spending cuts and policy riders is a great disappointment to some people” and that he would like to see those himself, he did not think if they made those cuts and attached the policy riders, the bill could “get 217 votes on our side,” and if he were to add those provisions, “you’re not going to get a single Democratic vote.”
