House Republicans moving forward with partisan plan to avert government shutdown
Washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Tuesday that the House will move forward with a plan to vote on a partisan stopgap measure to keep the government funded this week, despite Democratic opposition and intra-party pushback that foiled a vote on the measure last week.
“Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government, and ensure the security of our elections,” Johnson said in a statement, outlining that the House would vote on the six-month continuing resolution and accompanying voting legislation on Wednesday.
Last week, House GOP leaders pulled the vote from the schedule in an acknowledgment of opposition from members of their own party that likely would have doomed the bill to fail. Johnson said at the time that Republicans are “in the consensus-building business,” noting that the vote would be delayed until this week while leadership worked to shore up support.
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Congress has until the end of the month to fund the government, making a short-term measure necessary to avoid a government shutdown. The plan is House Republican leadership’s opening salvo in the funding fight — a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through March 28, while attaching a noncitizen voting bill that Democrats generally see as a nonstarter.
said on X after Johnson announced the vote. “I’m a hell no.”
When asked about the likelihood that the bill won’t pass Tuesday afternoon, Johnson told reporters that he’s “not having any alternative conversations.”
“That’s the play,” Johnson said. “It’s an important one and I’m going to work around the clock to try to get it passed.”
Kaia Hubbard
Source: cbsnews.com