The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a three-month budget bill to sustain the government through Dec. 20, forcing lawmakers to renegotiate spending rates just before the holidays.
Continuing Resolution (CR) by Chairman Mike Johnson Passed It passed by a vote of 341 to 82 after his first budget proposal was rejected on September 18. Questions remain about whether Johnson's budget compromise will open the door to another comprehensive bill before Christmas, but he has repeatedly said I felt relieved He told his Republican colleagues he plans to avoid that. (RELATED: 'It's only natural': Republicans unhappy with Mike Johnson's new funding bill)
Democrats passed the CR unanimously, but 82 Republicans voted against it. Vote on the bill on Wednesday night.
“If he wants to be speaker again, he won't put forward a comprehensive bill,” a House Republican aide told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “But if he has no interest in being speaker, he will. I would be surprised if he ends up doing a third comprehensive bill. We'll probably see another long-term comprehensive bill.”
“If he passes an omnibus bill with suspensions, he's in trouble,” said Andy Harris, newly elected chairman of the House of Representatives Freedom Caucus. said Blades. “Because… he said Tuesday morning that he's not going to agree to a comprehensive deal in December… so I think we should let them stick to it.”
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 24: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) leaves a press conference with leaders of the House Republican Caucus at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on September 24, 2024. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Johnson initially 6-month CR The bill has a companion bill called the SAVE Act, which would require individuals to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The vote was originally scheduled for September 11, but several Republican senators voiced opposition to it, citing financial concerns, leading Johnson to abruptly withdraw the CR Act from the floor in an effort to “build consensus.” (Related story: 'A flop': Republicans openly oppose Mike Johnson's latest spending bill)
“The goal is to actually drive the ball down the field, use the leverage that you have to score and do what you say you're going to do,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who spearheaded the SAVE Act. said NOTUS. “I think if I played more aggressively, I would have a lot more left to gain on the field.”
The House of Representatives voted a week later, on September 18, on a bill called the CR Act, which has similar content to the SAVE Act, but ultimately Blocked Fourteen Republicans and 206 Democrats voted in favor. Because Republicans held a slim majority in the House, Johnson could afford to lose only four Republican votes.
“They tried to implement the SAVE Act first to protect themselves,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida. said The Hill. “But there were also people who wanted a comprehensive bill and voted no.”
Johnson released his latest budget proposal on Sunday, which would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 20 and include an extra $230 million for the Secret Service. The proposal will force lawmakers to renegotiate spending levels just before the holidays, but Johnson said Repeated He plans to avoid the omnibus. (RELATED: 'Insulting farce': Republicans slam Mike Johnson for resurrecting 'zombie' funding bill)
“This is not a solution that any of us would prefer, but it is the most sensible way forward in the current circumstances,” Johnson said. letter Sunday. “History teaches us, and current polls prove it, that shutting down the government with less than 40 days until a fateful election would be political malfeasance.”
So far, the House has passed only five of the 12 budget bills before the Sept. 30 budget deadline, while the Senate has passed none.
Congress has not passed all 12 budget bills. Since Fiscal year 1997.
“If I had to guess, he'd probably go for the omnibus bill,” a House Republican aide told DCNF. “But will that actually happen? I'm not in their world, so it's hard to say.”
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