New House speaker passes first test: Avoid shutdown

Newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson passed his first major leadership test Tuesday by approving a short-term funding measure to avert a government shutdown.

Now comes the hardest part.

The expectation is that the Senate will adopt the proposal the emergency funding measure – known as a ‘continuing resolution’ or CR – well before Friday midnight’s deadline, extending financing for some parts of the government until January 19 and for the rest until February 2. That gives Congress time to try to complete the budget process, which requires 12 separate appropriations bills. But Tuesday also underlined the fault lines that could bedevil Mr Johnson in the coming weeks.

While all but two Democrats voted for the CR, they criticized Republicans for pushing for cuts below the level agreed to in a bipartisan bill this summer.

And nearly a hundred Republicans voted against the CR, angry that their new chairman would even temporarily continue to fund the government at levels set by Democrats before the Republican Party overthrew the House.

“There is a group of 20 members of the Republican Party (GOP) who are virtually impossible to vote on anything,” said South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson of the Main Street Republican caucus. “They are experts at making the perfect become the enemy of the good. We rule the country in spite of them, rather than with them.”

Newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson passed his first major leadership test Tuesday by approving a short-term funding measure to avert a government shutdown.

Now comes the hardest part.

Speaker Johnson and his fellow Republicans have pledged to go back to the old way of approving a budget — evaluating one part of the government at a time so lawmakers can weigh in — instead of all in one “omnibus” bill that leaders are negotiating. behind closed doors.

The expectation is that the Senate will adopt the proposal the emergency funding measure – known as a ‘continuing resolution’ or CR – well before Friday midnight’s deadline, extending financing for some parts of the government until January 19 and for the rest until February 2. That gives Congress time to try to complete the budget process, which requires 12 separate appropriations bills. But Tuesday also underlined the fault lines that could bedevil Mr Johnson in the coming weeks.

While all but two Democrats voted for the CR to avoid a shutdown, they criticized the budget process to date. Republicans have pushed to cut spending below levels agreed to in a bipartisan bill this summer and have included right-wing priorities in appropriations bills. “This is no way to run a country,” said Massachusetts Democratic Whip Katherine Clark.

On the Republican side, nearly a hundred Republicans voted against the CR, a measure that contradicts many who are calling for a more fiscally conservative government given the record national debt. Some were stunned that their new chairman would continue to fund the government at the fiscal year 2023 level set by Democrats before the Republican Party flipped the House.

“If the Democratic charge is that the CR is not meeting all their policy desires, they are right… Welcome to Washington,” said South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson of the Main Street Republican caucus. At the same time, he acknowledges that the new speaker is already experiencing resistance from his right flank. “There is a group of twenty (GOP) members who find it virtually impossible to agree on anything. They are experts at making the perfect become the enemy of the good. We rule the country in spite of them, rather than with them.”

A wave of arguments

A bizarre spate of skirmishes between Republicans on the Hill yesterday revealed the raw feelings within the caucus following the Oct. 3 resignation of former chairman Kevin McCarthy. This unprecedented event was followed by weeks of marathon rallies, with Republicans repeatedly trying and failing to coalesce around a new leader, before Mr Johnson – a deeply conservative lawmaker from Louisiana – was finally elected on October 25.

Republican Rep. Tim Burchett, a fiscal conservative from Tennessee and one of eight who voted with Democrats to oust McCarthy, accused the former chairman of shoving him hard in the back as he passed. An NPR reporter who interviewed Mr. Burchett at the time confirmed the account.

Mr. McCarthy — who has been similarly accused by other Republicans who fell from his favor — claimed it was unintentional. McCarthy ally Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, who moved from the House of Representatives to the Senate this year, said he would not trust Mr. Burchett, whom he kicked out of his congressional training group last week. De Heuvel reported. This after Senator Mullin – a former mixed martial arts fighter – challenged a witness to a fist fight during a hearing yesterday, as he stood up and moved to remove his wedding ring in preparation before Chairman Bernie Sanders barked: “You’re a Senator from the United States. . Sit down!”

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching next week, House members are getting a reprieve after an unusually intense 10-week stretch that included speaker drama and two government shutdown deadlines.

Congress’s to-do list

So farthe House of Representatives passed seven of the twelve appropriations bills and the Senate passed three. Neither chamber has taken up the other’s bills, a prerequisite for sending them to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign.

Also at stake is additional aid to Israel and Ukraine, two allies embroiled in wars involving main U.S. adversaries Iran and Russia. The House Republican Party has passed a bill to send $14.3 billion to Israel, confusing Democrats and some Senate Republicans who want to combine it with tens of billions in aid to Ukraine.

Last night, after organizers said 290,000 people showed up for a pro-Israel march on the National Mall, Republican Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas tried to force a Senate vote on the Israel aid bill — an unusual maneuver for a minority senator. Democrats succeeded in passing the motion, 51-48.

Republicans are also seeking changes to U.S. border policy and additional funding to stem the flow of migrants after more than 8 million illegal crossings overseen by Mr. Biden. If the U.S. is going to spend money to help Ukraine defend its borders, the funds should also go toward strengthening U.S. border security, they say.

“Give him time”

In short, while newly elected Chairman Johnson faces a big to-do list this holiday season, he also appears to have some wiggle room. GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, who led the impeachment of McCarthy after the former chairman passed a CR in late September, voted against the measure on Tuesday but said he had no plans to get rid of Mr. Johnson.

He calls yesterday’s CR Kevin McCarthy’s last game as the new ‘coach’ gets his team in order. “We’re going to give him time to design his plays and run his offense,” Mr. Gaetz said.

“He is a good listener and knows how to bring out cross-sections of the conference,” he added, praising Mr Johnson’s leadership style despite his lack of experience. “I consider the fact that he hasn’t sold every part of himself to the lobbyists and special interest groups in this city a plus.”

Democrats, in turn, fear they will find themselves in a similar position again in January.

“I’m certainly concerned about whether or not this will shake things up,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a New Jersey Democrat and former helicopter pilot. But, she adds, “Hope produces eternity.”