Speaker Johnson girds for another House GOP fight on government spending; plans to pass appropriations bills for 2025 by August

[essentialsaltes]

Johnson and his leadership team officially announced during a GOP conference meeting Wednesday an ambitious timeline to pass as many of the 12 government spending measures for fiscal year 2025 — otherwise known as appropriations bills — as possible in the coming months. He wants to do so before lawmakers spend August campaigning in their districts, according to multiple people in attendance who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss off-the-record meetings.

It’s a bold move from the speaker, who, because of his slender House majority, is always tottering on the precipice of failure, both in passing bills and keeping his gavel. Tackling spending cuts ahead of an election could be perilous. Last year’s appropriations process led to the first ouster of a House speaker in history and sparked the movement to remove Johnson from the speakership. In both instances, the GOP majority relied on Democrats to fund the government for the current fiscal year.

The speaker’s right flank is already demanding that Johnson punt funding the government until after the November election or incorporate drastic spending cuts. Moderate Republicans representing swing districts worry hard-liners will put them in a precarious position so close to the election by forcing votes on extreme measures that made House bills go nowhere during the last funding cycle.

I certainly applaud the effort to have a budget done before the new fiscal year starts in October. Let's see how it goes.

 

[essentialsaltes]

I certainly applaud the effort to have a budget done before the new fiscal year starts in October. Let's see how it goes.

House GOP’s big problems on spending bills​

Fearing an embarrassing loss, House GOP leaders suddenly canceled a vote on final passage of the FY2025 Energy and Water spending bill late Tuesday night.

At around midnight, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced that the House instead will take up the Interior funding bill today. That’s a big lift, although GOP leaders believe they have a chance to pass the measure. It may be the last one before Election Day. Republican leaders still haven’t decided if they’re bringing members back next week or recessing until September.

[Per Daily Boulder, they didn't take that vote either, and they are starting the August recess early.]

 

[essentialsaltes]

Speaker Johnson needs to do some more girding if he's going to get a budget done at all.

Proof-of-citizenship voting bill push could threaten government shutdown​

The hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus took an official position this month urging Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to attach the measure, dubbed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, to spending legislation next month.

At the same time, however, Axios reported that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) office has been privately pushing against attaching the bill to a stopgap measure next month.

But it’s not just McConnell who is skeptical. There are plenty of House Republicans who are opposed to attaching conservative policy riders to a CR that would be dead in the Senate.

House GOP leadership previously aimed to vote on all 12 of the party’s annual funding proposals for fiscal 2025 last month, before leaving for August recess. But the lower chamber ended up heading out early after failing to clear half of them, amid intrapary rifts over spending and policy.

[Reading the tea [party] leaves, I think some in the GOP don't want a stable 2025 budget now that Harris is looking more likely to be in the White House. Time to blow things up again.]

 

[Hans Blaster]

[Reading the tea [party] leaves, I think some in the GOP don't want a stable 2025 budget now that Harris is looking more likely to be in the White House. Time to blow things up again.]

I wouldn't be surprised. Someone in leadership (Schumer?) recently hinted strongly at ending the legislative filibuster for voting rights legislation (and only that), but frankly, I think they are going to have to go further and if not cut the threshold to 1/2 for all legislation (like it is now for all confirmations), but at least do so for constitutionally demanded functions like passing appropriations bills.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Sep 11 - Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Wednesday that he is pulling a short-term GOP government funding bill from the House floor amid significant defections on his right flank.

Sep 17 - The House will vote Wednesday on the plan by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to fund the government, the speaker announced Tuesday — though the proposal lacks even enough Republican votes to pass and could deal the GOP a setback in government funding negotiations as a shutdown deadline nears.

Sep 18 - The House failed on Wednesday to pass a six-month GOP government funding plan. The House vote was 202 to 220, with 14 Republicans voting against it, two Republicans voting present and three Democrats voting for it. A Democratic move to amend the bill was defeated on party lines.

Sep 19 - House Republicans signaled Thursday they have no appetite for a government-shutdown battle right ahead of the November election, ignoring exhortations from former President Donald Trump to hold the line on an election-security bill opposed by Democrats [which had been attached to the failed GOP budget plan].

Sep 22 - Congressional lawmakers on Sunday agreed to a deal to avert a looming government shutdown, advancing a three-month stopgap spending agreement with emergency funding for the Secret Service [and] green-lights faster spending from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid natural disaster victims.

Sep 25 - Congress approves funding bill to avoid government shutdown. The bipartisan spending bill postpones the debate on full-year funding levels for federal programs until after the election, and avoids a shutdown.

The vote was 78-18 in the Senate and 341-82 in the House.

 

[Arcangl86]

And once again, it took the Democrats to make sure the government didn't shut down.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Congress set to extend government shutdown deadline into Trump’s term​

Lawmakers face a Dec. 20 deadline to prevent a government shutdown and are considering extending federal funding into March.

Now, with the prospect of GOP control on either side of the Capitol — and only 20 planned working days until the shutdown deadline — a [continuing resolution at current spending levels] may be the only viable option to keep the government open, congressional aides say.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Congress set to extend government shutdown deadline into Trump’s term​

Lawmakers face a Dec. 20 deadline to prevent a government shutdown and are considering extending federal funding into March.

Lawmakers still face this deadline.

As Congress returns this week for one last burst of activity before it wraps up the session, it faces a key deadline of Dec. 20 to avert a government shutdown.

Democrats and Republicans appear resigned to passing a continuing resolution, or CR, that would temporarily fund the government into early 2025 — most likely March

 

[essentialsaltes]

Democrats and Republicans appear resigned to passing a continuing resolution, or CR, that would temporarily fund the government into early 2025 — most likely March

MAGA Republican Andy Biggs calls for monthlong government shutdown until Trump takes office​

In particular, he blasted leadership for not passing a long-term budget and simply passing a string of "continuing resolutions" to kick the can down the road on maintaining government funding.

I guess Biggs is demonstrating leadership by not even proposing, much less passing, a long-term budget.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Lawmakers still face this deadline.

As Congress returns this week for one last burst of activity before it wraps up the session, it faces a key deadline of Dec. 20 to avert a government shutdown.

Democrats and Republicans appear resigned to passing a continuing resolution, or CR, that would temporarily fund the government into early 2025 — most likely March

Lawmakers edge closer to deal on government funding​

One week left!

Lawmakers say they are edging closer to a deal to keep the government’s lights on in nine days but are still trying to work out differences over disaster aid and potential add-ons to the bill.

Disaster aid has been one of the key holdups, as leaders are expected to tack billions of dollars intended for recovery efforts from hurricanes Helene and Milton onto the forthcoming continuing resolution (CR).

The Biden administration has asked for roughly $115 billion in funding for disaster aid in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“Whether the amount is larger or relatively smaller, we’re going to have to spend the money sooner rather than later, or later rather than sooner,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told The Hill on Tuesday. “We’re going to have to spend it because none of those folks in Appalachia and Georgia had any funds.”

[House Freedom Caucus:] “The House should consider only what is absolutely necessary right now to provide critical relief to hurricane victims and farmers, and pay for it with offsets from wasteful spending elsewhere in the government

Here's your chance House Republicans. You get to cut ~$100 billion in 'wasteful' government spending to pay for needed disaster relief. What will you do?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Lawmakers edge closer to deal on government funding​

One week left!

Two days left.

Speaker Johnson came through with a bill yesterday, but as predicted, his own party has some people who don't like bits and pieces of it. It's a continuing resolution (so spending levels once again stay the same) but with some additional spending (including a cost-of-living adjustment to their own salaries: Merry Christmas!).

Leaders in Congress reach deal to avert government shutdown​

The measure includes $100 billion in [additional] disaster aid and [an additional] $10 billion for farmers, but it will probably need bipartisan support to pass.

House Republican infighting could still endanger any agreement and push federal agencies to the brink of shuttering this weekend.

The stopgap funding bill, called a continuing resolution, or CR, extends federal funding until March 14. The measure includes $110.4 billion for disaster relief and approves a pair of local priorities, clearing the way for the District of Columbia to take over land so it can negotiate with the NFL’s Washington Commanders for a possible stadium and committing the federal government to pay the full cost to rebuild Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The bill even includes a cost-of-living adjustment to lawmakers’ pay, which members have voted to block in past government funding bills since 2009 for fear of public disapproval.

[The Speaker on the additional spending:] “These were not man-made disasters, these were things that the federal government has an appropriate role to do. I wish it weren’t necessary. I wish we didn’t have record hurricanes in the fall. I wish farmers were not in a bind such that creditors are not able to lend to them anymore. We have to be able to help those who are in these dire straits"

--

“All they’ve done is tied emergency spending to a horrible spending bill to force people to rise up in righteous indignation and support a terrible piece of legislation,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee), one of the eight Republicans who voted to depose McCarthy [after McCarthy passed a similar stopgap spending bill].

 

[essentialsaltes]

More GOP reviews of the budget can-kick with bonus spending are in!

“It’s a total dumpster fire. I think it’s garbage” Rep. Eric Burlison (Missouri)

"We’re forced to eat this ██ sandwich” Rep. Chip Roy (Texas)

"This is ████" Rep. Mike Lawler (New York)

 

[Pommer]

The bill even includes a cost-of-living adjustment to lawmakers’ pay, which members have voted to block in past government funding bills since 2009 for fear of public disapproval.

$174,000 not enough pay.
$7.25/hr enough pay.

 

[essentialsaltes]

More GOP reviews of the budget can-kick with bonus spending are in!

The Donald and the DOGE are also agin it. It's dead before it was even alive.

Under pressure from Elon Musk, House GOP prepares to scrap spending bill​

Unless Congress acts, a shutdown deadline looms just past midnight Saturday.

But the GOP rank-and-file, buoyed by entrepreneurs Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, rejected the measure by Wednesday afternoon, sending Johnson back to the drawing board on a plan to prevent a Christmastime shutdown — and maintain control of his chaotic conference. President-elect Donald Trump also came out against Johnson’s bill on Tuesday afternoon, in a long written statement.

Johnson has not outlined what a back-up plan could look like, and multiple people familiar with the real-time conversations said the next step remains unclear, as leaders would need significant support from both parties — and Trump — to pass a funding extension.

Two-thirds of House members must vote for the bill for it to pass, because Johnson will bypass the usual process for floor votes. Several Republicans will be closely eyeing the outcome.

Hey everybody, that's a government shutdown for Christmas!

--

The end of the long written statement:

It'll be great to see the non-chaotic budget plan spring into reality in the new administration.

 

[Pommer]

It'll be great to see the non-chaotic budget plan spring into reality in the new administration.

I look forward to the return of Friday night news-dumps and (of course) “Infrastructure Week!”

 

[essentialsaltes]

Trump comes out against even a clean continuing resolution, and threatens any Republican who votes for such a thing. Furthermore, the House GOP has to fix the debt limit before Trump takes office. It's not clear what fixing it means in Trump's eyes. I presume it means lifting the ceiling so high, even Trump's profligate spending won't get near it. Or better yet, just eliminating it or continuing to suspend it for 4 years.

Sorry hurricane stricken areas. No small business loans to get you on your feet again. The money ran out and Speaker Johnson can't make good on his promise to fill the fund up.

 

[essentialsaltes]

On the plus side, my spouse had federal jury duty scheduled next week...

(Rats, looks like the courts can probably keep going a few weeks, but maybe they won't start any long trials.)

 

[Arcangl86]

Trump comes out against even a clean continuing resolution, and threatens any Republican who votes for such a thing. Furthermore, the House GOP has to fix the debt limit before Trump takes office. It's not clear what fixing it means in Trump's eyes. I presume it means lifting the ceiling so high, even Trump's profligate spending won't get near it. Or better yet, just eliminating it or continuing to suspend it for 4 years.

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Sorry hurricane stricken areas. No small business loans to get you on your feet again. The money ran out and Speaker Johnson can't make good on his promise to fill the fund up.

Uh, the budget fight has nothing to do with the debt limit. It's kind of scary he doesn't know the difference.

 

[Say it aint so]

It's going to be a crazy four years. A take a flame thrower to everything congress, and a executive branch with no executable plans.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Uh, the budget fight has nothing to do with the debt limit. It's kind of scary he doesn't know the difference.

ONLY HE CAN (tell other people to) FIX IT.