House Republican leaders are poised to fend off GOP opposition to a federal funding plan as they race against the clock to prepare for a partial government shutdown.
“There are a lot of people out there who really think a government shutdown is a good idea, or at least don't want to take responsibility for avoiding it,” House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said Tuesday. “A shutdown would not be good for the American people, and it would not work politically. And you were sent here to take responsibility.”
Typically, a bill would go through the House Rules Committee and then take a procedural vote, known as a “rules vote,” before the full House gets to decide on the bill itself, where lawmakers can then act.
But votes on the rules traditionally occur along party lines, regardless of who supports the bill itself.
Johnson's plan to avoid government shutdown thwarted by Republican rebellion
House Speaker Mike Johnson (left) will be forced to turn to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' Democratic caucus for help in passing a budget bill. (Getty Images)
Rep. Ralph Norman, a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and a member of the Rules Committee, told Fox News Digital on Monday night that he supports the rules as passed by committee but will reject them on the full House floor.
With growing opposition and a slim three-seat majority, House Republican leadership likely doesn't have the votes to pass the rules.
Instead, multiple sources told Fox News Digital they expect House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, to bring the bill to a vote under suspension of the rules, meaning he would forgo a rules vote by the full House in exchange for raising the threshold for passing the bill from a simple majority to two-thirds of the House.
The bill provides a short-term extension of this year's government funding, known as a continuing resolution (CR), until Dec. 20. Its purpose is to give Congress more time to negotiate spending priorities for fiscal year 2025, which begins Oct. 1.
Many Republicans oppose CR in principle, arguing that it unnecessarily expands government.
Shutdown fears lead Republicans to move to protect military pay
Rep. Ralph Norman said he expects the bill to fail due to procedural obstacles. (Getty Images)
But a government shutdown just weeks before Election Day could come at a steep political cost to Republicans, a point Johnson made to GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning, three people told Fox News Digital.
Johnson also assured lawmakers that they would not be forced to vote on a year-end “omnibus” spending bill that would combine all 12 annual budget proposals into one giant bill, which nearly all Republicans oppose.
Johnson was always expected to need Democratic votes to pass the CR bill in December, and dozens of Republicans have voted against similar bills in the past.
But introducing the bill under suspension of the rules seems to be an indirect admission that Democrats will need to wield significant influence to get the bill passed.
“It's very unfortunate that we have to rely on Liberal Democrats to pass something,” Norman said after the meeting Tuesday morning.
McCarthy's “final stand” threatens to overshadow Johnson's shutdown fight
“The railroad operating bill, the appropriations bill, is stalled? That's how you can run a railroad,” Texas Republican Rep. Keith Self told Fox News Digital.
They said they expected Congress would be forced to pass a comprehensive bill before recessing for the holiday.
But Johnson did get some support from House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.).
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris defended House Speaker Mike Johnson. (Getty Images)
Asked about a comprehensive bill at the end of the year, Harris said, “I believe the speaker has said that's not going to happen.”
House House Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, told reporters the CR is scheduled to vote on the matter on Wednesday, suggesting suspending the rules is a likely option.
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Last week, a more conservative CR – which would have postponed the funding fight until March and included measures to crack down on foreign voting in US elections – was rejected by 14 Republicans and all but three Democrats.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., one of 14 rebels who voted against the plan, gave Johnson a reprieve.
“Chairman Johnson is in a tough spot,” Burchett told reporters. “He's got to do what he's got to do.”
