House Speaker Mike Johnson announced his two-step funding plan to avoid a government shutdown Saturday.
Johnson’s plan, the “Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act of 2024,” will see most its funding expire Feb. 2 while some would expire Jan. 19, according to the text of the bill. This would reportedly force the House and Senate to negotiate on the 12 regular government funding bills rather than a single omnibus funding package.
The Jan. 19 deadline relates to government funding programs and agencies covered under regular appropriations bills covering agriculture, rural development, the Food and Drug Administration and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, the bill reads.
Other programs have deadlines extending into 2024, including the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which has a Sept. 30, 2024 deadline under the provisions of the bill.
Johnson defended the plan as a way to “fight for conservative victories” by pushing for “fiscal responsibility” and making “meaningful changes” to Ukraine aid and the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. (RELATED: ‘Trying To Change How Washington Works’: Speaker Johnson Responds To Criticism Over Israel Funding Bill)
“This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories,” Johnson said in a statement Saturday. “The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess. Separating out the CR from the supplemental funding debates places our conference in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our Southern border.”
This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories. The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) November 11, 2023
Some Republican lawmakers do not share Johnson’s optimism. Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy opposed the bill for its alleged “[Nancy] Pelosi level spending” and potentially illicit promises.
“My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated. Funding Pelosi level spending & policies for 75 days – for future ‘promises,'” Roy wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated. Funding Pelosi level spending & policies for 75 days – for future “promises.”
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) November 11, 2023
Republican California Rep. Ken Calvert said the Democrat-held Senate will not realistically support the bill, according to The Hill.
The bill does not include any funding for Ukraine or Israel, as the House has already introduced a plan to allocate $14.5 billion to Israel following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, an Islamic terrorist organization.
Senate Democrats are unlikely to support the bill, with one senator accusing it of being “super convoluted” and that reviewing such “nonsense” would cost valuable taxpayer money, per the outlet.
“We are going to pass a clean short term CR. The only question is whether we do it stupidly and catastrophically or we do it like adults. There’s nothing inherently conservative about making simple things super convoluted, and all of this nonsense costs taxpayer money,” Democratic Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz said.
Johnson voted against an initial government funding bill which would avoid a government shutdown until Nov. 17. Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate and successfully ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for negotiating with President Joe Biden to pass the bill into law.