Share this @internewscast.com

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers on Tuesday afternoon were poised to pass new Speaker Mike Johnson’s bill to avert a government shutdown, punting the GOP’s spending fight until after the holidays.

The so-called laddered continuing resolution, or CR, would fund part of the government — including the Agriculture, Transportation and Veterans Affairs departments — through Jan. 19, and fund the Defense Department and other remaining parts of the government through Feb. 2.

Follow along for live updates.

The CR is “clean,” with no spending cuts or contentious policy provisions that would alienate Democrats. It also does not include a supplemental package covering things like aid for Israel and Ukraine, humanitarian assistance or border security, leaving those issues for later in the year.

Keeping the government’s lights on into the New Year would buy more time for House Republicans to pass all 12 appropriations bills and for House and Senate negotiators to hammer out a broader deal. The CR also will give agitated lawmakers, who’ve been in session for 10 straight weeks, a chance to take a break from one another.

“I’ve been drinking from Niagara Falls the last three weeks. This will allow everybody to go home for a couple of days for Thanksgiving, everybody cool off,” Johnson, R-La., told reporters.

“Members have been here … for 10 weeks. This place is a pressure cooker,” he said. “And so I think everybody can go home, we can come back, reset. … We’re going to map out that plan to fight for those principles.”

House leaders have structured the CR vote so that it will need support from two-thirds of the entire House to pass. Because conservatives are rebelling against Johnson’s funding bill, he will need significant backing from Democrats.

If the CR passes the House, it will head to the Senate, which will need to send it to President Joe Biden’s desk by Friday night to avert a shutdown.

Publicly, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is saying that Democrats are still evaluating Johnson’s proposal. But inside a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, Jeffries told rank-and-file Democrats of the CR, “This is OK. We can live with this,” according to a member of his leadership team in attendance.

A handful of Democrats leaving the caucus said they would be on board.

“We’ve made clear that there should be no spending cuts. And we’ve made clear that there should be no poisonous political partisan policy provisions,” Jeffries told reporters after the meeting.

In the room, two top appropriators — Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. — argued that Democrats can’t be a “cheap date” and help Johnson pass CR without getting something in return, according to a source present. DeLauro and Wasserman Schultz said they wanted a path forward on topline spending numbers and agreements on funding caps for the 12 spending bills, while others pushed for assurances that the House will vote on Israel and Ukraine aid.

Johnson’s clean CR will rely on Democratic votes, just as the last funding bill that cost former Speaker Kevin McCarthy his job in early October. The House conservatives who helped oust McCarthy from power despise CRs in general, and on Tuesday morning, the far-right House Freedom Caucus said that its members had taken a position opposing the laddered CR, even though it was originally proposed by Freedom Caucus members.

It “contains no spending reductions, no border security, and not a single meaningful win for the American People,” the Freedom Caucus said in its statement.

Defending his strategy, Johnson argued that this CR would help Republicans tackle spending and debt in the future.

“We are not surrendering, we are fighting. But you have to be wise about choosing the fights,” the speaker said. “You got to fight fights that you can win.”

“This was a very important first step to get us to the next stage so that we can change how Washington works,” he said.

But with Johnson in the job for less than three weeks, there’s been no discussion among Republicans about an effort to remove him over the CR.

“I don’t like the bill. I like Speaker Johnson,” said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy. “Speaker Johnson has been on the job for what, two or three weeks now? … The reason why Speaker Johnson finds himself in the position he is in is because of nine months of failure under Speaker McCarthy.”

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., another one of the group McCarthy has dubbed the “Hateful Eight,” also cast blame on the former speaker.

“Speaker McCarthy had since January and then he started working on it two weeks out before the deadline and after we had taken six weeks off, and dagnabbit, we should have been here working,” Burchett said.

“I think people will be unhappy and uncomfortable with it,” Burchett said of Johnson’s CR, but he added that he thinks Johnson will survive through the 2024 election.

“I think he’s going to be a great speaker,” he said.


Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Montoya Perry, charged with carjacking, killing Uber Eats driver Daniel Figueroa with own car on West Side, has criminal history

Montoya Perry Faces Charges in Fatal Carjacking of Uber Eats Driver Daniel Figueroa on West Side: A Look Into His Criminal Record

A tragic incident unfolded in the suburbs of Chicago as a woman…
Zelenskyy says Ukrainian officials to meet Trump envoys in Geneva for more Russia talks

Zelenskyy Announces Crucial Geneva Meeting with Trump Envoys on Ukraine-Russia Relations

Reported by KAMILA HRABCHUK KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy…
Woke Nebraska State Senator's Pro-Trans PAC Goes From 'No Hate' to No Funds

Nebraska State Senator’s Pro-Trans PAC Faces Financial Struggles Amidst ‘No Hate’ Campaign

Nebraska State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh, a Democrat, has forged a reputation as…
Harlem renaissance history unearthed amid Bronx gravestones

Hidden Treasures: Bronx Gravestones Reveal Untold Stories of the Harlem Renaissance

WOODLAWN, the Bronx — The Harlem Renaissance was an explosion of Black…
Kim Jong Un taps teenage daughter as ‘missile general’ for North Korea nuclear program: reports

Kim Jong Un Appoints Teen Daughter to Lead North Korea’s Missile Program: Reports

In a surprising development reported by South Korean media on Monday, North…
4 people on Florida boat killed by Cuban forces after entering its waters: officials

Cuban Forces Reportedly Kill Four Aboard Florida Vessel in Territorial Waters Incident

Cuban authorities have reported the fatal shooting of four individuals aboard an…
'Not on my bingo card': Hegseth comments on being tasked with releasing files on UFOs

Pete Hegseth Surprised by New Role in Unveiling UFO Files

“Do you think aliens exist?” was the question posed to Defense Secretary…
Markey: GOP Lawmakers Will 'Run' Away from Trump's Tariffs

Markey Predicts GOP Legislators Will Distance Themselves from Trump’s Tariff Policies

On a recent episode of MS NOW’s “The Weeknight,” Senator Ed Markey…
Viral video of giraffes in rainstorm stuns millions: 'They are so innocent'

Stunning Giraffe Rain Dance Captures Hearts Worldwide: A Viral Phenomenon

When it comes to enduring harsh weather, giraffes truly have a unique…
NYC faces more snow that could be 'hazardous' for commuters

NYC Braces for Potentially Hazardous Snowstorm: Commuters Urged to Prepare for Disruptive Weather

Early Wednesday morning, New York City was once again blanketed with snow,…
Maryland senior center employee Marquis Emilio Jones arrested in killing millionaire philanthropist Robert G Fuller Jr

Shocking Arrest: Maryland Senior Center Employee Charged in Murder of Millionaire Philanthropist Robert G. Fuller Jr.

A 22-year-old employee at an assisted living facility is facing charges after…
Hezbollah won't intervene if US strikes Iran, group says

Hezbollah Declares Non-Involvement in Potential US-Iran Conflict

An official stated on Wednesday that Hezbollah will refrain from engaging in…