Republican House leaders’ plan to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of September could be derailed by growing opposition from their party’s fiscal hawks.
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana rolled out legislation late last week to extend the government’s current funding levels through March using a continuing resolution (CR) to give congressional negotiators additional time to work out the spending priorities for the next fiscal year.
It’s attached to a GOP-led bill requiring proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.
As of Monday evening, at least five Republican House members had emerged against the plan, meaning Johnson will almost definitely need Democratic votes to pass it.
Despite Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump’s blessing of the plan, Speaker Johnson can afford little room for error with a thin House majority of only four votes.
On Monday, GOP Representative Cory Mills of Florida told reporters that he and Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Tim Burchett of Tennessee are all opposed.
“I’ve made it clear … that I’ll be a no on the CR,” said Mills. “As far as I’m concerned, this is nothing more than messaging.”
Last week, Massie said he believed it was a mistake for Johnson not to push for a longer CR. In the bipartisan deal passed last year, a CR extending past April 30 would automatically trigger a 1% government funding cut.
“Speaker Johnson has this teed up in front of him. The 1% cut is in law. All we need is a one-year CR to queue it up. When the April 30 deadline arrives, he could even trade the cut for something. But he’s afraid to even create a spending cut deadline,” said Massie.
GOP Representative Matt Rosendale of Montana, who is retiring at the end of the year, said he is also against the bill.
In the meantime, GOP House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers of Alabama told Punchbowl News he was against the CR due to concerns within the defense community about the impact of extending it into the new year.
Possible shutdown has sparked confusion and concern among House GOP members
It has prompted confusion and concern among House GOP members-only hours after they returned from a six-week recess.
“I think we ought to have some conversation with those five,” said conservative Republican Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina about the opponents of the plan. “And I think those five ought to bear responsibility for blowing some opportunities that are right at hand.”
Meanwhile, GOP Representative Mike Garcia of California, a hawk on national security in a swing district, said he wanted to hear if Speaker Johnson had a backup plan.
“I think it’s a good first position. I think, you know, the question is, [what is] position two? Position three look like?” said Garcia to reporters. “We don’t need to share that with you guys in the media right now. But we should internally [have an] understanding of the strategy. And I think … hopefully we get more clarity on that.”
Legislators anticipate a vote on the plan on Wednesday, but enough opposition could force House Republican leaders to thwart the vote.
It is possible that some Democrats will vote to support the bill. Five House Democrats voted with the GOP to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act earlier in the year.
However, Democratic leaders in the Senate and House have both come forward in opposition to the plan. The White House additionally announced Monday that President Joe Biden would veto the legislation if it made it to his desk.
Earlier in the day, Johnson told reporters he didn’t have a fallback plan in case of failure.
“There is no fallback position. This is a righteous fight. This is what the American people demand and deserve,” said Johnson.
It remains a position likely to concern moderates who worry the political fallout from a federal shutdown only weeks before Election Day could cost them their seats.
“If we shut down, we lose,” said one Republican last week.
