Top Democrats are keeping their own counsel about whether they will help carry House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to avert a partial government shutdown over the finish line this week.
While initially grumbling about Johnson’s (R-La.) pitch for a rare two-step continuing resolution to keep federal operations going after 11:59 p.m. Friday, Democrats expressed relief Monday at the lack of spending cuts in the plan.
“For now, I am pleased that Speaker Johnson seems to be moving in our direction by advancing a CR that does not include the highly partisan cuts that Democrats have warned against,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Monday, adding that his chamber would stand aside and let the House put the plan to the test first.
Schumer stopped short of formally endorsing the proposal and alluded to grievances over the complex nature of Johnson’s so-called “laddered” approach.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) encapsulated much of the sentiment amongst his party in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.
“It looks gimmicky to me, but I’m open to what the House is talking about,” Murphy said. “The priority has to be keeping the government open.”
Enough House Republicans have already come out against Johnson’s plan to tank it if Democrats don’t step in.
“I’m not going to make a judge on whether I’d veto or I’d sign,” President Biden told reporters Monday. “Let’s wait and see what they come up with.”
Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives largely echoed Schumer in a Monday letter to members, saying that they were “carefully evaluating the proposal set forth by Republican leadership and discussing it with members.”
“We remain concerned with the bifurcation of the continuing resolution,” they added.
Under Johnson’s plan, unveiled Saturday, the government would be fully funded through Jan. 19, 2024. On that date, some of the government’s discretionary funding will expire, with the remainder due to sunset Feb. 2.
By the first deadline, Congress must approve four appropriations bills funding the Department of Transportation; the Department of Housing and Urban Development; military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs; energy and water development; as well as the Department of Agriculture, rural development, and the Food and Drug Administration.
By the second deadline, lawmakers must complete the remaining eight bills — including those for defense appropriations.
Traditionally, Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills each fiscal year to fund the government. So far, none have cleared both chambers.
There are traditionally 12 appropriations bills that Congress needs to pass each new fiscal year to fund the government. So far none have cleared both chambers.
Johnson can only afford to lose four Republicans in the GOP-controlled House if he wants to pass legislation solely with support from his party.
“I voted NO to both CRs before and I’m voting NO to this clean CR. We need to finish approps and the Senate needs to do their job. NO MONEY TO UKRAINE! CLOSE THE BORDER! STOP THE WEAPONIZED GOVERNMENT!” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Saturday.
“I will not support a status quo that fails to acknowledge fiscal irresponsibility, and changes absolutely nothing while emboldening a do-nothing Senate and a fiscally illiterate President,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.) said.
Matters are complicated by the fact that Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) plans on skipping votes this week due to the death of his mother.
Despite those setbacks and defections, one key Republican is backing the measure: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
“House Republicans have produced a responsible measure that will keep the lights on, avoid a harmful lapse in government funding, and provide the time and space to finish that important work,” he said on the Senate floor Monday.
Bitter internal Republican divisions over how to avert a government shutdown back on Sept. 30 ultimately led to the ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
McCarthy brought forward a 47-day stopgap to make time for Congress to hash out the appropriations process. However, Republican lawmakers lost vital negotiating time by removing McCarthy and taking more than three weeks to elect his replacement.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) who led the mutiny against McCarthy, suggested that he will be more forgiving to Johnson.
“I’m not voting for a clean CR,” Gaetz told CNN last week, before Johnson presented his measure. “He never promised he wouldn’t, unlike the last guy.”
“I think there is a willingness to give a little more grace to Speaker Johnson than to Speaker McCarthy.”
Thus far, the House has passed at least seven appropriations bills, while the Senate has only advanced a “minibus” bill equivalent to three.
Both chambers also remain at loggerheads over top-line numbers, but Johnson has conveyed confidence that Congress will avert a shutdown.
“I’ve been working around the clock, quite literally, for the last few days meeting with subgroups of members within my House Republican Conference,” Johnson told The Post last week.
“I’ve been at the table myself through these discussions. And I think that’s had the desired effect of showing the members that we’re serious about how we’re going to change the way Washington operates, how we do business here and this is a big part of that.”