Johnson's Plan to Avoid Shutdown Pays Off

UPDATE Nov 14, 2023 5:20 PM CST

A big win for new House Speaker Mike Johnson: A stopgap funding bill to prevent a government shutdown passed easily on Tuesday. The House voted 336-95 vote to approve the two-tier bill, which funds some government agencies until January and others until February, the Washington Post reports. Johnson needed Democratic votes to pass the measure, which was rejected by dozens of hard-right Republicans. The Senate is expected to pass the bill with bipartisan support before the shutdown deadline of midnight Friday, reports the AP.

Nov 14, 2023 12:48 PM CST

In what is seen as new House Speaker Mike Johnson's first major test, he is attempting to pull off a feat that eluded predecessor Kevin McCarthy: Get a bill passed to avoid a government shutdown and keep his job. The House was expected to vote Tuesday on Johnson's plan to pass a continuing resolution to avert a shutdown on Saturday, reports the Hill. Assuming that happens, the Senate was to move quickly as well.

• The move: Johnson is using what Politico describes as a "parliamentary gimmick" to get his deal done. He is pushing a two-tiered funding schedule that provides money for some agencies through mid-January and others until early February, per the AP. The "laddered" funding plan has drawn plenty of critics, but it appears to have a chance. Johnson's continuing resolution does not include steep funding cuts sought by conservatives that would have been deal-breakers to Democrats. It also puts off a decision on defense spending until the latter bracket. "We're not surrendering, we're fighting," said Johnson, "but you have to be wise about choosing the fights."
• Needs Democrats: Johnson aims to pass the bill "under suspension of the rules," a parliamentary maneuver that means he needs the support of two-thirds of the chamber and thus help from Democrats, per the Washington Post. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party was "carefully evaluating" the proposal. Other Democrats sounded happy that Johnson had avoided spending cuts or "poison pill" additions and voiced their support, per the Hill. In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he's on board, as is the White House, reports Politico.

• Job is safe? Last month, McCarthy's stopgap deal (passed under the same fast-track process Johnson is using) got him ousted because it angered the House's hard-right flank. The House Freedom Caucus doesn't like Johnson's approach either, reports the Hill, but nobody appears to be trying to push Johnson out. Instead, the caucus said it is "committed" to working with him. Why the difference? "You have to ask the people that did that, that took out the last speaker—and how they can contort themselves into now supporting this speaker making the same play call," said GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry, who served as interim speaker after McCarthy. Hard-right Republican Rep. Chip Roy said that while he disagrees with Johnson's approach, he "commends" him for trying to solve a difficult situation, per the Post.

(More Mike Johnson stories.)