To pass ?clean’ continuing resolution to avert shutdown, Johnson relies on Democratic votes

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution to keep the Federal government fully operating yesterday, on a 336 to 95 vote. 127 Republicans joined 209 Democrats to pass the bill, brought to the floor of the chamber by newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).[1]

93 Republicans broke with party leaders and voted against the bill versus just 2 Democratic “nays.”

The vote mirrors the 335 to 91 bipartisan House vote in favor of the continuing resolution brought by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) on September 30, 2023.

The bill would extend the Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Energy and Water appropriations bills until January 19 and the remaining eight bills until February 2, 2024.[2]

The continuing resolution had no spending cuts or conservative policy riders attached to it.? It includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill that had expired on September 30.

The bill does not include any aid to Ukraine or Israel and does not provide for an extension to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 702 authorities. ??

Johnson was forced to move the bill “under suspension,” a maneuver that required the legislation to win the support of a significant number of Democrats, having failed to win over enough of Republican hardline conservative colleagues to pass a rule.[3]

"Once again, the Republican majority needs Democratic votes to govern," Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) said ahead of the vote.

House Democrats “have repeatedly articulated that any continuing resolution must be set at the fiscal year 2023 spending level, be devoid of harmful cuts and free of extreme right-wing policy riders,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), said in a statement of support for Johnson’s proposed legislation.

The conservative House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday released a?statement?on ‘X’ opposing the resolution “as it contains no spending reductions, no border security, and not a single meaningful win for the American people.”

In an interview with Politico, Matt Glassman, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Government Affairs Institute, explained how Johnson’s reliance on Democrats weakens his leadership.

“If you don’t have a procedural majority — meaning a working majority in the House, day in and day out — you don’t really have control over the agenda,” Glassman said.

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[1] Jennifer Haberkorn and Burgess Everett. How the White House got to yes on an ‘unserious’ government funding proposal, Politico, November 14, 2023.? https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/14/white-house-government-funding-proposal-00127239

[2] Reese Gorman. House passes Speaker Johnson's continuing resolution in first step to avoid shutdown, Washington Examiner., November 14, 2023. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/house-passes-johnsons-continuing-resolution

[3] Ian Ward. Did Mike Johnson Just Doom Himself to the Same Fate as Kevin McCarthy? Politico, November 14, 2023. Did Mike Johnson Just Doom Himself to the Same Fate as Kevin McCarthy? - POLITICO

Image: Matt Glassman, Senior Fellow, Government Affairs Institute, Georgetown University