To secure a federal financing agreement, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) may need to rely on House Democrats, as the deal has angered conservatives in an otherwise divided House.
The irony here is that a same situation led to the October ouster of former California Republican and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who had collaborated with Democrats to finance the government.
There will be a mad dash to approve legislation that would authorize the funds before the government shutdown starts this month after Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, reached an agreement on a $1.59 trillion spending package on Sunday, along with $69 billion in adjustments to nondefense budgets.
The first group of legislation has until January 19 to get through Congress, while the second group has until February 2 to do the same.
A government shutdown might occur if Congress is unable to fulfill its deadlines, since Johnson has said that he would not approve another short-term continuing resolution.
The 220–213 majority that Johnson's party now has means that he cannot afford to face significant internal opposition without turning to the Democrats for assistance.
As if that weren't bad enough, conservatives in the House have already blasted the accord and called for compromises on border policy, which has been a sticking point in talks for a supplemental funding measure to help Israel and Ukraine.
Posting on X, the approximately thirty-odd members of the House Freedom Caucus called the government financing accord a "total failure."
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), head of the House Freedom Caucus, and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the group's policy chair, said on X that the Republicans had given up some power by settling on a ceiling on spending.
Regarding the agreement, Good said that there are "no significant policy wins." In his letter, Roy expressed his intention to "wait to see if we get meaningful policy riders," but he cautioned that the yearly military bill—which conservatives strongly reject—"was not a good preview." The measure featured a temporary renewal of foreign monitoring activities.
X said that Republican Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene will vote against the budget agreement due to the fact that it "does nothing to secure the border, stop the invasion, or stop the weaponized government targeting Biden’s political enemies and innocent Americans."
However, Johnson has highlighted some victories, such as the expedited reduction of IRS spending and a $6.1 billion reduction to "COVID-era slush funds," describing it as "the most favorable budget agreement Republicans have achieved in over a decade," according to The Hill.
If Johnson wants to prevent conservatives from using procedural votes to derail spending legislation, it's unclear what method he will use.
The House uses established rules to guide legislative discussions. Recently, conservatives have obstructed these rules to express dissatisfaction with spending initiatives. Uncertainty remains as to whether Republicans will continue to derail procedural votes. By suspending the rules, the House can approve measures with a simple majority, bypassing procedural voting.
The irony here is that a same situation led to the October ouster of former California Republican and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who had collaborated with Democrats to finance the government.
There will be a mad dash to approve legislation that would authorize the funds before the government shutdown starts this month after Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, reached an agreement on a $1.59 trillion spending package on Sunday, along with $69 billion in adjustments to nondefense budgets.
The first group of legislation has until January 19 to get through Congress, while the second group has until February 2 to do the same.
A government shutdown might occur if Congress is unable to fulfill its deadlines, since Johnson has said that he would not approve another short-term continuing resolution.
The 220–213 majority that Johnson's party now has means that he cannot afford to face significant internal opposition without turning to the Democrats for assistance.
As if that weren't bad enough, conservatives in the House have already blasted the accord and called for compromises on border policy, which has been a sticking point in talks for a supplemental funding measure to help Israel and Ukraine.
Posting on X, the approximately thirty-odd members of the House Freedom Caucus called the government financing accord a "total failure."
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), head of the House Freedom Caucus, and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the group's policy chair, said on X that the Republicans had given up some power by settling on a ceiling on spending.
Regarding the agreement, Good said that there are "no significant policy wins." In his letter, Roy expressed his intention to "wait to see if we get meaningful policy riders," but he cautioned that the yearly military bill—which conservatives strongly reject—"was not a good preview." The measure featured a temporary renewal of foreign monitoring activities.
X said that Republican Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene will vote against the budget agreement due to the fact that it "does nothing to secure the border, stop the invasion, or stop the weaponized government targeting Biden’s political enemies and innocent Americans."
However, Johnson has highlighted some victories, such as the expedited reduction of IRS spending and a $6.1 billion reduction to "COVID-era slush funds," describing it as "the most favorable budget agreement Republicans have achieved in over a decade," according to The Hill.
If Johnson wants to prevent conservatives from using procedural votes to derail spending legislation, it's unclear what method he will use.
The House uses established rules to guide legislative discussions. Recently, conservatives have obstructed these rules to express dissatisfaction with spending initiatives. Uncertainty remains as to whether Republicans will continue to derail procedural votes. By suspending the rules, the House can approve measures with a simple majority, bypassing procedural voting.
