Speaker Mike Johnson is vowing to move forward on his spending plan, even as it appears to be on the verge of collapse.
Johnson argued in a private Republican conference meeting Tuesday morning that GOP lawmakers should line up behind his pitch to link a six-month spending patch to a conservative-favored bill requiring proof of citizenship in order to register to vote, according to three Republicans with knowledge of the matter. And even as some Republicans privately doubt the bill’s ability to clear the House, Johnson said he is — at least right now — still planning to call a vote on the floor Wednesday.
“That’s the plan,” the speaker told POLITICO upon leaving the House GOP’s weekly meeting.
And he has refused to present another path, publicly or privately. After the meeting, he emphasized to reporters the powerful response he received when he traveled across the country fundraising for members last month: “I am resolved that we are not looking at any other alternative … and that’s why we’re going to stand up and fight for it.”
His private sales pitch didn’t seem to have much of an effect. At least six Republicans are already publicly opposed to the stopgap plan, known as a continuing resolution or a CR, enough to sink it on the floor unless it gets some backing from Democrats. A handful of Democrats previously voted in favor of the proof-of-citizenship bill, known as the SAVE Act, but it’s unlikely that the minority party would want to swoop in and save a Republican plan on the House floor. So far, Democratic leaders have refrained from instructing their members how to vote.
After the GOP meeting, more Republicans indicated on Tuesday that they are likely to oppose Johnson’s plan, raising the odds that a floor vote would mean a high-profile defeat just months before the election. And it carries personal risk for him, as he plans another speakership bid — he’d have to choose between an embarrassing cave to Democrats or flirting with a government shutdown on Oct. 1.
“Based on what I heard in there, why am I going to put up a fake fight — I’m all in for a real fight,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told reporters, adding that she was “very likely” a no on the spending plan.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) added after the meeting: “I’m still reading through the text of it.” But, she added: “I’ve never voted for a CR.”
In addition to Mace and Greene, more than a half dozen other House Republicans are also publicly on the fence about whether to support the spending patch. That means Johnson’s pool of opposition could easily grow before the scheduled Wednesday vote — though his allies are starting to express skepticism that the floor vote will happen.
“Don’t know yet,” Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said about the chances there is a vote on Wednesday. He noted it is up to Johnson.
Unlike in past instances, Johnson has a well of support among conservatives — though it’s not universal. The group is split between those who are glad to see the proof-of-citizenship bill included in the package and those who are opposed to a CR on principle.
Johnson received a strong boost from a co-founder of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Jordan went to bat for the speaker’s plan during the meeting, even as GOP support crumbles.
“You had Congressman Jordan up there saying: ‘This is the best fight we’ve ever had. We should be focused on this,'” Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) said, describing Jordan’s rallying speech.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), another Freedom Caucus member, also spoke in support of Johnson’s plan during the closed-door meeting, telling reporters afterward: “This is the hill to die on.”
But Johnson’s pushback is still largely coming from his right flank. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of the members who has publicly stated he will oppose the plan, told his colleagues and the speaker that the package has “fairy tale levels of believability,” according to a person in the private meeting.
And it’s not just conservatives. Part of Johnson’s headache is that the opposition to his plan is coming from multiple GOP factions. He’s got conservatives on his right who generally don’t support any government funding bills and are questioning why they would do so now if it’s doomed in the Senate. At the same time, he’s got defense hawks who are worried about the impact a six-month spending patch would have on the Pentagon.
House Democrats are expected to almost universally vote against the package in the scheduled floor vote on Wednesday, though attendance issues could complicate the party’s opposition efforts.
“I think the Democrats will hold together and unite,” said Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. “This is a reckless bill.”
And Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also knocked Johnson’s legislation Tuesday morning: “Why would extreme MAGA Republicans put a bill on the floor that they know is dead on arrival, might not even have the votes to pass the House, and certainly will see no daylight in the United States Senate?”
Trump-district Democrats, like Reps. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) and Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who might otherwise feel pressure to support the proof-of-citizenship voting bill, signaled they would likely oppose the spending package. Even so, Democratic leaders are not giving any indication yet on how hard they will whip against it.
In a private caucus meeting Tuesday morning, Jeffries reiterated that they wanted to stick to the spending plan negotiated under ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“Now, GOP wants to jam parts of Project 2025 down our throats,” Jeffries said, according to two people in the room, referring to a controversial conservative policy plan that former President Donald Trump has disavowed. He added that Republicans were “threatening a shutdown” so they can cut Social Security, veterans care and defense.
Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz contributed to this report.
Source Agencies
