Speaker Mike Johnson’s self-described “righteous” idea to pair a six-month funding bill with the SAVE Act is on the brink of imploding. A number of House Republicans are unpersuaded by the proposal, describing it as irresponsible and ill-advised.
The GOP opposition to the measure ranges from hardline conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus to defense hawks to moderates. Every move Johnson makes to pick up votes in one place loses him votes somewhere else.
House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said the bill would present big problems for the Pentagon. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who is almost certainly going to be a senator come January, says the stopgap proposal spends taxpayer dollars recklessly.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) said he will vote against the CR over concerns about spending levels. He joins conservative Reps. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in opposing the bill for fiscal reasons.
“How can I continue these continuing resolutions… knowing it’s driving us into economic collapse, and trying to play politics with continuing resolutions for a policy rider that we know that we’re not prepared to actually see the fight all the way through?” Mills said.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) told us he was on the fence about the CR as it stands, as did fellow conservative hardliner Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.). Crane said he likes the SAVE Act but “hates the CR.” Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), who has never supported a CR before, said he’s conflicted though leaning toward “yes.”
The House Rules Committee approved a rule covering the six-month spending bill and several China-related measures late Monday night. The House will theoretically take up the rule this afternoon — that is if the leadership doesn’t pull the plug beforehand or delay it to give Johnson more time to work over members.
Johnson has attendance issues, as well. There were 44 lawmakers — 23 Republicans, 21 Democrats — who were absent Monday. Republicans have just a four-seat margin.
Republican moderates are uneasy with the plan. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), who represents a district that President Joe Biden won in 2020, said he wants Johnson to outline his plan to ultimately avoid a shutdown before he commits to voting for the CR.
In another less-than-ideal sign for Johnson, some of the Democrats who backed the SAVE Act in July as a stand-alone measure said they weren’t likely to support the CR package even if it includes that provision.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), an appropriator and border hawk who voted for the SAVE Act, doesn’t “like long CRs.” Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) told Fox News “that he would have no problem explaining a no vote to his voters.”
House Democratic leadership is whipping against the CR. The White House also issued a statement saying Biden would veto the measure.
Johnson’s miscalculation. The speaker’s decision to craft this bill as a six-month spending measure coupled with the SAVE Act — which passed the House with unanimous GOP support — was born of two calculations.
Former President Donald Trump has urged Republicans to attach the voting measure to the spending bill. And punting a final spending deal until March of next year was designed to avoid an end-of-year omnibus.
But pairing those two priorities together was probably a bit too much for the House to bear. Moderates were willing to give Johnson a chance but many Republicans are nervous about a possible shutdown this close to an election.
Johnson told us “we’ll find out” if the CR can pass, noting Republicans just began whipping the proposal Monday night. Earlier in the day, Johnson said he had no fallback option, a comment that sent shudders throughout the GOP ranks.
Asked if he still planned to bring the measure to the floor on Wednesday, Johnson said: “We’re working on that. I’m very confident in the principle of what we’re doing and I’m hopeful it’ll get across.”
One senior House Republican said passing the bill “was a heavy lift” and that “only Johnson” can convince defense hawks to back the measure
If Johnson can’t get his own proposal enacted, the most likely scenario becomes the Senate jamming the House with a clean CR that runs until mid to late December.
What’s next? There’s widespread agreement among Senate appropriators that the CR shouldn’t last beyond the end of the year, which further complicates Johnson’s position.
“It’s not going to be a six-month CR,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told us on Monday. When asked whether she’d talked to her GOP counterpart, Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), ranking Republican on Appropriations, about a three-month CR, Murray responded, “We’re working on it.”
“I would prefer a CR that went through just December,” Collins added. “We’re going to have a new administration regardless, and they should have a clean slate.”
Senate Minority Whip John Thune said the six-month timeline was “problematic” for defense and national security because “we already underfund our military.” But Thune acknowledged there’ll be a “strong contingent of [Republicans] who would like to see all these things pushed into next year.”
Also: The House Freedom Caucus board is aiming to choose a successor for Chair Bob Good (R-Va.) by Friday, with the full group likely to vote on his replacement next Tuesday.
Good, who lost his primary, gave an impassioned speech about his time as chair to members at Monday night’s weekly meeting and received a standing ovation, according to a person familiar.
Former HFC Chair Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) is seen as the most likely contender to temporarily replace Good in a caretaker role.
