Top Democrats are maintaining their own advice on whether they will help carry out House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to avoid a partial government shutdown when the finish line reaches this week.
While they initially complained about Johnson’s (R-La.) proposal for a rare two-step continuing resolution to keep federal operations running 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 President Johnson appears to be moving in our direction by promoting a CR that does not include the highly partisan cuts that Democrats have warned against,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday ( D-NY), adding that his chamber would step aside and let the House test the plan first.
Schumer stopped short of formally endorsing the proposal, citing complaints about the complex nature of Johnson’s so-called “phased” approach.
Hakeem Jeffries has been coy about whether he will back President Mike Johnson’s “tiered civil liability” approach.REUTERS
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) summed up much of the sentiment among his party in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“It seems like a gimmick 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 ruin him if Democrats don’t intervene.
Since ascending to the presidency, Mike Johnson has been embroiled in a thorny spending fight similar to the one that led to the ouster of his predecessor. Tamara Beckwith/NY Post
“I’m not going to judge whether I veto or sign,” President Biden told reporters on Monday. “Let’s wait and see what they come up with.”
House Democratic leadership largely echoed Schumer in a Monday letter to members, saying they were “carefully evaluating the proposal put forth by Republican leadership and discussing it with members.”
“We remain concerned about the bifurcation of the ongoing resolution,” they added.
Democrats are particularly upset that the House has not yet taken up the supplemental request.REUTERS
Under Johnson’s plan, unveiled Saturday, the government would be fully funded until Jan. 19, 2024. On that date, some of the government’s discretionary funding will expire and the rest will end on Feb. 2.
Before the first deadline, Congress must pass four appropriations bills that fund 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.
For the second term, lawmakers must complete the remaining eight bills, including defense appropriations bills.
Mike Johnson said he had been meeting with various groups within his group to come up with a plan. fake images
Traditionally, Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills each fiscal year to fund the government. So far, none have been approved by both chambers.
Traditionally, there are 12 appropriations bills that Congress must pass each new fiscal year to fund the government. So far none have been approved by both chambers.
Johnson can only afford to lose four Republicans in the GOP-controlled House if he wants to pass legislation solely with his party’s support.
“I already voted NO to both CRs before and I will vote NO to this clean CR. We need to finish appropriations and the Senate needs to do its job. NO MONEY FOR UKRAINE! CLOSE THE BORDER! STOP THE ARMED GOVERNMENT!” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Saturday.
I voted NO to both CRs before and will vote NO to this clean CR.
We need to finish appropriations and the Senate needs to do its job.
NO MONEY FOR UKRAINE!
CLOSE THE BORDER!
STOP THE ARMED GOVERNMENT!
IMPOSE BIDEN, MAYORKAS, WRAY, GARLAND AND TUBAS! https://t.co/X8baKyXUDm
– Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 11, 2023
I will not support a status quo that does not recognize fiscal irresponsibility and changes absolutely nothing while emboldening a do-nothing Senate and a fiscally illiterate President.
—RepScottPerry (@RepScottPerry) November 13, 2023
“I will not support a status quo that recognizes fiscal irresponsibility and changes absolutely nothing while emboldening a do-nothing Senate and a fiscally illiterate president,” said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.).
Things are complicated by the fact that Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) plans to skip voting this week due to the death of his mother.
Despite those setbacks and defections, one key Republican backs the measure: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
“House Republicans have crafted a responsible measure that will keep the lights on, avoid a harmful disruption to government funding, and provide the time and space to finish that important work,” he said on the Senate floor Monday. .
Congress is in a mad race to find a way to avoid a government shutdown on Friday. Getty Images
Bitter internal Republican divisions over how to avoid a government shutdown on Sept. 30 ultimately led to the impeachment of then-Chairman Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
McCarthy filed a 47-day stopgap to give Congress time to debate the appropriations process. However, Republican lawmakers lost vital negotiating time by ousting McCarthy and taking more than three weeks to elect his replacement.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who led the riot against McCarthy, suggested he will be more lenient toward Johnson.
“I’m not going to vote for a clean CR,” Gaetz told CNN last week, before Johnson introduced his measure. “He never promised that he wouldn’t, unlike the last guy.”
“I think there’s a willingness to give President Johnson a little more grace than President McCarthy.”
The House of Representatives had been busy with a turbulent fight for the presidency last month.REUTERS
So far, the House has passed at least seven appropriations bills, while the Senate has only introduced one “minibus” bill equal to three.
Both chambers also remain at odds over revenue figures, but Johnson has conveyed confidence that Congress will avoid a shutdown.
“I have been working day and night, literally, for the last few days meeting with subgroups of members within my House Republican Conference,” Johnson told The Post last week.
“I myself have been at the table during these discussions. And I think that has had the desired effect of showing members that we are serious about how we are going to change the way Washington operates, how we do business here and this is a big part of that.”
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