Speaker Johnson Faces Opposition: Speaker Mike Johnson is finding out that despite unanimous support for his gavel, sharp divisions among House Republicans on spending bills persist.
Twice this week, Johnson, R-La., had to withdraw federal budget bills as Republican opposition made their passage unlikely.
With just seven days left before a potential federal government shutdown on November 17, there isn’t enough time to pass the full annual budget suite.
Despite the urgency, Speaker Johnson hasn’t revealed details of his stopgap funding plan to extend government funding temporarily while lawmakers resolve budget disputes.
House GOP divisions derail spending bills
The Transportation and Housing funding bill faced opposition from Northeast Republicans due to funding cuts to Amtrak, which conservatives insisted remain in the bill.
Johnson pulled the Financial Services and General Government funding measure after moderate members opposed a provision overruling Washington, D.C.’s abortion law.
Rep. John Duarte of California, opposing the bill, pointed to voter pushback in Tuesday’s elections against Republican efforts to restrict abortion rights.
“The American people are telling us very clearly they don’t want Washington D.C. meddling in their abortion rights,” Duarte said.
The Financial Services bill also faced opposition over funding for a new F.B.I. headquarters in D.C.’s Maryland suburbs, with conservatives, including Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Jim Jordan, threatening to vote against final passage.
“We’ve been pretty clear with the American people. We don’t think the F.B.I. should be getting a new headquarters, plain and simple,” Jordan said.
Conservative objections upset moderate members, with Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska saying, “For those who are mad about it, tough shit it pisses me off.”
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“Don’t blame all the FBI for Director and the Attorney General’s behavior,” Bacon said, referring to conservative frustration over the agency’s investigation into former President Trump.
Johnson hasn’t announced his stopgap spending plan
As the party works on larger budget disagreements, Johnson is crafting a short-term spending plan, a continuing resolution, to keep the federal government open beyond November 17.
Options include funding federal agencies through January or a “ladder” CR, extending funding for some agencies to one date and setting a different date for stopgap funding for others. The ladder CR aims to force Senate negotiations on contentious spending bills.
Some worry the ladder approach sets up rolling deadlines for potential partial government shutdowns.
Lawmakers expect Johnson to unveil a decision and a bill by Friday, with a House vote on Tuesday, three days before the shutdown deadline.
Stopgap measures are contentious among House Republicans, making it challenging for Johnson to formulate a proposal.
In October, after then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., relied on Democratic votes for a short-term funding bill, he was ousted by a small group upset with the plan.
There’s no sign Speaker Johnson’s job is at risk. Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett, who voted to remove McCarthy, said there’s nothing discussed for the continuing resolution leading to ousting him.
“A lot of stuff built up to [firing McCarthy],” Burchett said.
GOP Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, who also voted to remove the last speaker, said negotiations with the speaker include “kickers or sweeteners” to appease skeptical members.
Biggs’s proposal would push lawmakers back toward his preferred budget process: “twelve single subject bills which [Congress is] required by law to get done in the first six months of the year.”
Discussion includes adding a bipartisan proposal to create a national debt commission to the short-term spending bill.
To add any policy measures, Johnson needs as many Republicans on board as possible, given his slim majority. The top House Democrat, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, insists on a “clean” continuing resolution without additional provisions.
Bacon thinks the ladder CR isn’t the wisest move but would back it to avoid a shutdown. Other GOP members of the appropriations committee have reservations but defer to Johnson.
Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Dan Meuser suggests some GOP members aim to use spending bills to achieve every policy goal incrementally.
He points to the saying, “the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time,” and says some want to make giant leaps and correct everything in one bill.
Slow going in the Senate
In the upper chamber, lawmakers work on an alternative stopgap proposal. Senate rules require sixty votes for any plan, necessitating bipartisan support.
Senators remain quiet, waiting for House Republicans to unveil a proposal. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urges Speaker Johnson and House Republicans to avoid past hard-right poison pills with zero Democratic support, which led to a shutdown a month ago.
Schumer starts the process to allow the Senate to move to a spending bill next week if ready for consideration on the floor.
Hurdles in the Senate include getting agreement on a short-term bill to avoid a shutdown. Both chambers grapple with a request for emergency aid for Israel, Ukraine, and the border.
After the House passed a bill for Israel paired with non-starters in the Senate, leaders work on a broader national security funding package. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell insists Democrats back policy changes to current immigration laws.
A bipartisan Senate group works on something both parties can agree on, but years of efforts to zero in on immigration reforms yield no progress.
Sen. James Lankford, in talks, says it will take more than money to fix border issues, emphasizing the need for policy changes.
The national security package doesn’t have to move simultaneously with the bill to avoid a shutdown.
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