The last government shutdown deadline ousted the House speaker. This week’s showdown could be easier

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The previous government shutdown deadline resulted in the removal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. However, this week’s impending showdown appears to have a more favorable outlook.

The current House Speaker, Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, seems poised for a more positive outcome as the House prepares to vote on a stopgap package to extend government funding into the new year. If approved by the House, the Senate will follow suit before the looming shutdown deadline on Friday.

Similar to his predecessor McCarthy, Speaker Johnson faces the challenge of insufficient support from his Republican majority to pass the bill independently. Consequently, he will have to rely on Democrats to secure the necessary votes to keep the federal government operational.

Johnson has emphasized the bill’s importance, referring to it as “necessary” and expressing hope that it will position House Republicans favorably to advocate for their conservative priorities in the coming year.

Under his proposal, Johnson has introduced a unique, albeit criticized, two-part approach. This plan temporarily funds certain federal agencies until January 19 and others until February 2 through a continuing resolution (CR). Notably, it does not incorporate the deep spending cuts demanded by conservative factions. Furthermore, it omits President Joe Biden’s request for nearly $106 billion in supplemental funds, intended for Ukraine, Israel, border security, and other purposes.

Representative Chip Roy, a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, voiced significant opposition within House Republicans to collaborating with Democrats on passing the bill.

On the Democratic side, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, expressed cautious consideration of the Republican leadership’s proposal. He cited concerns about the complexity of the two-part approach, which has been deemed unwieldy and unusual by experienced lawmakers from both parties.

However, Jeffries noted that the GOP package aligns with Democratic demands to maintain funding at current levels without substantial reductions or divisive Republican policy initiatives. He emphasized that extreme right-wing policy provisions would not be accepted in connection with government funding.

Given the narrow division in the House, Speaker Johnson cannot afford many defections from fellow Republicans, necessitating cooperation with Democrats.

The Senate, where Democrats hold a slim majority, has also indicated its willingness to endorse Johnson’s package before the impending government funding deadline on Friday. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell expressed support for the House GOP package, stating that it would “keep the lights on.” However, he acknowledged that Congress still needs to address President Biden’s request for U.S. military aid and other priorities.

If approved, the passage of another continuing resolution would mark a remarkable conclusion to the House GOP’s first year in the majority. Despite their efforts to reduce federal government spending, they find themselves funding the government at bipartisan levels established at the end of 2022 when Democrats controlled Congress. However, potential 1% across-the-board cuts to all departments loom in the new year if Congress fails to agree on new budget terms and pass traditional appropriation bills by spring.

These automatic cuts, set to take effect in April, are met with disdain from both sides of the aisle. Republicans argue they are insufficient, Democrats deem them too steep, and many lawmakers prefer to increase defense funding. Nevertheless, they are a component of the debt deal negotiated by McCarthy and Biden earlier in the year, designed to incentivize Congress to perform better in budgetary matters.

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More about Government Shutdown

• Government Shutdown
• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
• Speaker Mike Johnson
• Continuing Resolution (CR)
• President Joe Biden’s Funding Request
• Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
• Automatic Budget Cuts