The latest House Speaker, Mike Johnson, made a spending deal with Democrats which really annoyed the hard line conservatives. I know how you feel, Johnson acknowledges. He’s disappointed, too. His agreement also makes progress in the right direction and happens to be about the only proposal with a chance of making it through the Senate. He’s simply doing the best he can with what he has. There’s no way he can make everyone happy so that’s where they’re at.
Another deal with Democrats
How can we get anything accomplished by holding a hard line, ultra-conservative lawmakers snarl, when leadership keeps making a side deal with the Democrats.
They’re still stinging from the blow-back after they yanked the gavel away from Kevin McCarthy and aren’t rushing to do that again. Instead, they “blocked a procedural vote” and threaten more tantrums.
Johnson went ahead and made a deal with Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. In protest, “twelve conservative House Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against a rule for three bills scheduled for floor debate this week.”
#BREAKING: House conservatives voted against a procedural motion to bring a group of bills to the floor, a major defeat for Speaker Mike Johnson that highlights the anger inside the Republican Conference. Should We The People push for Johnson to vacate the chair? #MotionToVacate pic.twitter.com/UDRqyrFzqz
— Online Shogun (@online_shogun) January 10, 2024
They’re holding every bill hostage until they resolve the issue. The way they see it, Johnson should cave to their demands and let the government go ahead and shut down.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good explains that they’re “making a statement that what the deal, as has been announced, that doesn’t secure the border and that doesn’t cut our spending, and that’s gonna be passed apparently under suspension of the rules with predominantly Democrat votes is unacceptable.”
The caucus hopes “to persuade the Speaker and the leadership and the entire Republican conference to not follow through” with it, as currently written.
It’s gonna survive
Despite a revolt on the ultra-conservative side, Johnson is confidant the deal will go through. “It’s gonna survive,” he told the press. His biggest challenge is convincing his friends that he’s doing the best he can with what he has to work with.
They simply need to make a compromise and move on. “What I’ve told Ralph Norman and Chip Roy, who are my close friends, I’m also a conservative hardliner, that’s been my entire career in Congress and all of my years as a legislator. Cutting spending, this is a big priority for us, the Republican Party.”
He didn’t totally cave in like McCarthy did. He accomplished a bunch of their goals. “What we negotiated in the topline agreement for the appropriations going forward is an innovation.” The deal caps spending at $1.66 trillion.
The spending agreement CUTS $16 billion in Democrat spending priorities — the first nondefense spending cut in several years.
This is a step in the right direction as House Republicans fight for conservative policy riders and reprioritizing funds. pic.twitter.com/kcrnTTQyAn
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 9, 2024
“We’re trying to get back to 12 appropriations bills instead of ruling and governing by omnibus spending bills. We’ve done that.”
Not only is it the best deal he could make that will make it through the Senate, they authorize “$888 billion for defense, $704 billion in nondefense discretionary spending and an additional $69 billion in further spending.”
Defense got a good chunk of cash while the non-defense spending got a haircut. “Remember, we have a two-vote margin and only one chamber, only in the House is where we have the majority,” Johnson declares. “And so we have to work with the numbers we have and get the best we can.“
