A diverse House Republican caucus on Wednesday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-Louisiana) budget plan, dealing an embarrassing blow to GOP leadership and undermining a strategy to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month.
Fourteen Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in voting against the spending plan, which combined a six-month stopgap measure with a measure requiring proof of citizenship to vote, resulting in a final vote of 202-220, with two Democrats present. Three Democrats voted against and supported the measure.
The speaker faced three major Republican objections: hard-line conservatives criticized the use of a continuing resolution, defense hawks expressed concern about the impact a long-term funding bill would have on the Pentagon, and moderates worried about the threat of a government shutdown with the election looming.
“When you look at spending, I think our $36 trillion debt is one of the biggest problems we have in our country, and this bill just continues that overspending,” said Rep. Beth Van Duyne of Texas, one of the Republican opponents.
The outcome was not surprising: Prime Minister Johnson withdrew the bill from the vote last week over widespread opposition, and most opponents of the bill reiterated their opposition this week.
But the vote puts the speaker in a difficult position: With no clear path to averting a shutdown, he risks disappointing former President Trump and his partisan right and could derail his efforts to remain Republican leader in the next Congress.
To be sure, Johnson would have needed a Plan B to avoid a government shutdown even if the bill passed the House, as it is unlikely to move forward in the Senate with Democrats opposed to the six-month deadline and the inclusion of President Trump's Save America Voters Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
Democrats have expressed concern about placing an extra burden on voters, noting that it is already illegal for foreign nationals to vote, but Johnson pressed ahead with the plan to extend the funding until March 28 to give him an advantage over Senate Democrats in future negotiations.
The Speaker remained defiant under mounting pressure, insisting on putting the bill to a vote despite growing opposition and dismissing the idea of a Plan B.
“During the game, we're on the field, the quarterback calls the play, we execute the play,” Johnson said Wednesday. “We do the right things every day, and obviously we have a big playbook with a lot of different ideas, but when we're on the field and the quarterback calls the play, we execute the play.”
“We are not discussing alternative options,” the speaker told reporters on Tuesday.
But with Wednesday's rejection officially in the past, Johnson is being forced to regroup as the Sept. 30 deadline for a government shutdown approaches, but the path forward remains unclear.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson suspended the vote on the bill on Wednesday shortly after it was rejected, but told reporters he was already discussing Plan B with his colleagues.
“We ran a playbook. It was the best playbook. It was the right playbook. So now we're going to go back to the playbook and come up with a different playbook and come up with solutions. I've already spoken to my colleagues about a lot of their ideas,” Johnson said. “We have time to make the situation better and we're going to act immediately. I'm disappointed. I know this was the right thing to do and I think the American people are going to make their concerns on this heard by a lot of the people who voted no tonight.”
Lawmakers from both parties and both chambers have said publicly and privately that the current funding fight would end with a “clean” three-month continuing resolution that would set the stage for a new showdown after the November elections and before lawmakers go on recess in December.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urged House Republicans to act in a bipartisan manner to keep the lights on in Washington and sharply criticized Johnson's partisan stopgap measure.
“If the chairman's CR fails, I hope we will move forward with a strategy that actually works, which is bipartisan cooperation,” Schumer said on the Senate floor on Wednesday. “Bipartisan cooperation is the only thing that has kept our government afloat every time a budget deadline looms. Bipartisan, bicameral cooperation is the only thing that will work this time. Bipartisan, bicameral cooperation. That's what works. And we're willing to do that.”
Privately, Republican senators are also losing patience with Johnson's machinations and are increasingly concerned about the possibility of a shutdown. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Tuesday that a shutdown would be “beyond political stupidity.”
But a clear stopgap bill would draw fierce criticism from hardline conservatives in the House who want a long-term, lasting solution. It would also anger President Trump, who has called on Republicans to shut down the government if the spending bill doesn't strengthen election integrity.
The former president reiterated his position on Wednesday afternoon, hours before the vote, writing to Truth Social that “if Republicans do not fully understand the SAVE Act, they should not agree to a continuing resolution in any form.”
That presents a challenge for Johnson, who is trying to expand the Republican majority in the House and hopes to remain speaker next year, and who needs the backing of hard-line support to stay in the position. Trump's backing would also improve his prospects for remaining Republican leader, especially if he wins the presidential election in November.
Avoiding a government shutdown on Oct. 1 will be Johnson's final legislative task before the November election.
The Speaker has yet to reveal his next move, but he has several options, all of which carry risks.
Johnson could try to pass another partisan spending proposal in hopes of gaining leverage in upcoming negotiations with the Senate, which would be difficult with Republicans holding a slim majority, or he could push for a short-term, “clean” stopgap measure, which would likely avoid a government shutdown but would face criticism from the right.
While Johnson considers his next move, the Senate could begin the process of dissolving the stopgap measure, which, if successful, could force Johnson to act. But Senate Republican Leader John Thune of South Dakota told reporters Wednesday that there is enough time for the House to pass a separate proposal before moving forward with its own funding measure.
“If it fails today, they'll turn to Plan B,” Toon said. “I [know] I don't know what that is specifically, but I think we need to give them some time to send something over and have it processed by next week.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party continues to insist on a three-month temporary measure, saying it is unavoidable.
“Instead of setting a deadline of next March, we set a deadline in December, get things moving by that date, and then we negotiate what programs and amounts are needed,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “We believed we had it today, and now we've wasted another week waiting for it to happen. It's a strange phenomenon.”
Alice Foley contributed.
