PHOTO: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in Washington, DC yesterday.
‘Congress [after second CR failure Thursday] was back at square one on [this] morning…with just over 12 hours left until a partial government shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.’
By William Upton | The National Pulse – Friday, Dec. 20, 2024
Last night a group of 38 House Republicans voted against a continuing resolution (CR) backed by President-elect Donald J. Trump, which cut the entirety of the extraneous add-ons from the first bill but did include several provisions for much-needed disaster relief for the victims of several recent hurricanes and healthcare extenders.
Despite the compromise—a big win for conservative House members, with the bill shrinking from over 1,500 pages in its first iteration to just 116 pages in the second version—the CR again failed under a suspension vote, putting Congress back at square one on Friday morning.
There are now just over 12 hours left until a partial government shutdown at 12:01 AM on Saturday morning.
Following the defeat of the second continuing resolution, Trump upped his ask of a two-year debt ceiling suspension to a four-year suspension.
“Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” he wrote on Truth Social early Friday morning.
“Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.”
Just hours later, though, the President-elect added in a second post: “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”
FREEDOM CAUCUS REVOLT.
At the center of the chaos is a group of House Freedom Caucus members who do not appear to have the appetite to vote for any continuing resolution—including one that delivers a win for the Republican Party.
They appear to be led by Representatives Chip Roy (R-TX), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Bob Good (R-VA), Rich McCormick (R-GA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and Matt Rosendale (R-MT).
Roy and Massie suggested they are unafraid of primary challenges for defying the Trump-backed CR. “It’s real for some people, but Chip Roy can survive it. I can survive it,” Rep. Massie told POLITICO after Trump slammed Roy on Truth Social. He added: “It’ll move the needle 20 points in a race. But if you were going to win 80-20 percent you can be okay.”
Unfortunately, as the fight drags out, it increasingly becomes a concern that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and his leadership team will get jammed with an unfavorable spending bill sent down by the Senate.
The other path House leadership could take would be cutting a deal with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), which would result in a continuing resolution somewhere between the 1,500-page first version and the 116-page second version—a strategic loss for conservatives watching to reduce spending. ##
Image by Gage Skidmore.