House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is forging ahead with a plan to avert a government shutdown despite overwhelming Republican opposition that would derail the plan, threatening an embarrassing vote on the House floor that could undermine his fundraising strategy.
At least six Republicans, including hardline conservatives and defense hawks, have said they will vote against Johnson's government funding measure, which combines a six-month continuing resolution with a Trump-backed bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote. If every Democrat votes against it and it passes with a unanimous vote, Republicans could lose only four senators.
However, the Speaker is moving ahead with the plan, arguing that the importance of the bills, particularly the Protecting American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, requires a vote in Congress.
“We're going to combine the SAVE Act and the CR and move forward with that process,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday morning. “I'm committed to that and I'm not considering other options or other measures. I think this is the right way to go about it.”
Pressed about the bleak vote result, Johnson said: “You all know how I'm going to act – I'm going to do the right thing and accept whatever the outcome may be.”
“So, we'll see what happens,” he added.
The Speaker delivered the message to MPs at his party conference on Tuesday morning, where one source in the room said Johnson was “committed to CR”, while another said he was “passionately pushing for a funding package”.
Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, who supports the plan, said it was “good news” that Johnson was “sticking to it.”
But one lawmaker said the opposition was addressed in the room, while Norman said there was no indication that anyone in the opposition had changed their position. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has said he plans to vote against the bill according to sources in the room, described the funding package as a “fairy tale.”
Opponents of the plan include fiscal hawks who oppose any continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels, defense hawks who are unhappy with the impact a six-month continuing resolution would have on the military, and moderates who are skeptical of Johnson's strategy.
Johnson's budget plan will face its first test on Tuesday afternoon, when the House of Commons is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on the spending bill. If the bill passes, a vote on the base bill is scheduled for Wednesday.
It's unclear whether the bill can get through that hurdle. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who has voiced opposition to the bill, said he was considering voting against it as soon as Tuesday.
But even if the bill narrowly passes, Senate Democratic leaders have already determined that the measure is not viable.
“As I've said before, the only way to get things done is through a bipartisan effort. Despite Republican bravado, we have moved every budget bill forward in a bipartisan manner, and this will be no exception. We will not allow poison pills or Republican extremism to jeopardize funding for vital programs,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote to colleagues Sunday night.
Johnson told reporters on Monday that he had no fallback plan if the CR-pus-SAVE Act failed, but Rep. Tom Cole (R-Ore.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said Republicans “always have multiple tools up their sleeves in case it fails.”
But those options were not discussed during Tuesday morning's meeting, disappointing skeptical moderates who had been pressing Johnson to explain more clearly how he intended to move forward with a bill that would likely fail even with uniform Republican support. Schumer has an alternative plan ready, and the White House has said that if the Republican bill reaches Biden's desk, he will veto it.
Despite the GOP infighting, Johnson said Tuesday he understands the risks of a government shutdown with the election so close.
“We understand the risks of a closure,” Johnson said. “We understand the risks. We're going to do the right thing and see what happens.”
