{"id":2147031,"date":"2024-01-11T20:16:13","date_gmt":"2024-01-12T01:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/speaker-johnson-weighs-throwing-wrench-into-government-spending-fight\/"},"modified":"2024-01-11T20:19:13","modified_gmt":"2024-01-12T01:19:13","slug":"speaker-johnson-weighs-throwing-wrench-into-government-spending-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/speaker-johnson-weighs-throwing-wrench-into-government-spending-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaker Johnson considers disrupting government spending dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fspeaker-johnson-weighs-throwing-wrench-into-government-spending-fight%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2147031&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Speaker\u2062 Mike Johnson Injects Uncertainty into Government\u200b Funding Standoff<\/h2>\n<p>Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had \u2064given hope in recent days that Washington\u2064 could escape the kind\u2064 of brinkmanship that has defined past standoffs over government funding.<\/p>\n<p>He announced a deal \u200bSunday with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer \u2064(D-NY) on top-line spending\u200c and even signaled he may reverse course on his vow\u200b not to pass another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukraine-covid-and-monkeypox-biden-asks-congress-for-another-47-billion-to-address-critical-needs-for-the-american-people\/\" title=\"Ukraine, COVID, And Monkeypox: Biden Asks Congress For Another  Billion To Address \u2018Critical Needs For The American People\u2019\">short-term spending bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With a Jan. 19 partial government shutdown \u2062looming, the compromise was welcome news\u200b in the Senate, where leadership wants a funding extension \u200bwhile the two\u200c sides hammer out the details of that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/three-reasons-mike-johnsons-spending-agreement-with-democrats-is-on-the-rocks\/\" title=\"Mike Johnson's spending agreement with Democrats is in jeopardy for three reasons\">top-line agreement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But\u200d Johnson\u2019s Thursday acknowledgment \u200dthat he is discussing whether to backtrack on the deal, just four\u2064 days after announcing it, has injected uncertainty into what was already a tenuous\u2064 process.<\/p>\n<p>Notwithstanding a deal, Johnson is \u2063expected\u200b to push for policy riders\u200c Democrats denounce as \u201cpoison pills,\u201d a fight he is likely to lose but nonetheless represents an attempt to\u2063 appease\u2063 his right flank.<\/p>\n<p>He extracted small victories from Schumer on IRS and COVID-19\u2062 funding, but \u200dthe spending\u200b levels agreed to last spring as part of a fight over the debt ceiling remained intact.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson\u2019s deal signaled he would not \u2062be \u2062beholden to the hard-liners who wanted deeper cuts. \u200dBut his resolve apparently turned to indecision after meeting\u2063 with conservatives on\u2062 Thursday morning.<\/p>\n<p>They walked out of his office suggesting Johnson had agreed to renegotiate with Schumer.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson pushed back on those statements, \u2064telling reporters he had not\u200b made up his mind. \u201cI\u2019ve made no \u200ccommitment. So, if you hear otherwise, it\u2019s just simply \u200dnot \u200btrue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But opening the door \u2064at all demonstrates the influence hard-liners have over Johnson if he wants to get anything done. Just\u200b one day earlier, 13 Republicans\u2064 tanked a bill on the House floor in \u2063protest of the spending deal, \u200cmuch like they did \u200cunder Speaker \u200cKevin McCarthy before him.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson\u2062 finds himself in essentially the\u2064 same\u200b place as his predecessor. With a two-seat majority, he needs virtually all of his conference to keep \u2063the chamber running but is forced to compromise on must-pass legislation given Democrats\u2019 control of the Senate and White House.<\/p>\n<p>Such compromise, inevitably\u2064 interpreted as\u2062 surrender by hard-liners, led\u2064 to the downfall of McCarthy. Johnson understands he could\u2064 be next.<\/p>\n<p>Schumer indicated on Thursday he expects Johnson to abide by the \u200ddeal. \u201cWe have a top-line agreement;\u2064 everybody knows to get anything done, it has to be bipartisan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>And centrist Republicans have already begun to\u200b urge \u200dJohnson\u200b to \u201cstick with\u200b his guns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s doing the right thing. The \u200cvast majority, the 90% of us, know that it\u2019s the best\u200b deal,\u201d said Rep. Don Bacon \u200b(R-NE). \u201cWe can\u2019t let\u2062 a small group \u2026 control \u200bus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How Johnson proceeds could determine the trajectory of his speakership. But it also has real implications\u200b for government funding.<\/p>\n<p>Withdrawing from the top-line spending \u200cagreement \u200ccould be the key to conservatives greenlighting a \u200bfunding extension, perhaps to March, but it would set up \u200ba bigger battle in the coming months.<\/p>\n<p>The conservative Freedom Caucus wants to roll back spending to fiscal \u200c2022 levels, tantamount \u2062to a $130 billion cut, while the debt \u2063limit agreement essentially kept spending flat.<\/p>\n<p>The concessions Johnson got, accelerating $10 billion in cuts to the IRS and rescinding $6\u2063 billion in COVID-19\u2063 relief\u200d funds, were interpreted \u200bas a fig leaf to conservatives, but Johnson would have trouble getting much\u200c more given\u200c Republicans marginally \u200dcontrol a single chamber of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson has made much the same argument to his conference over the last week.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the\u2063 top \u2064Republican on the Appropriations \u2064Committee, lamented Johnson\u2019s remarks, warning that it would raise the chances of a \u200bgovernment shutdown if he breaks the deal.<\/p>\n<p>But the Senate\u2064 at this point\u200c has become so accustomed to House\u200b chaos that senators\u2019 responses were by and large muted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Republicans can\u2019t govern. All they can \u200ddo \u2063is engage in political theater, and, frankly, that theater is getting pretty boring,\u201d said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). \u201cIt feels like the rerun\u200d of a play that \u200cwasn\u2019t very good the first time around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Senate Minority Whip John\u2064 Thune (R-SD) said the topic did not even come up\u200b at the conference\u2019s lunch on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans fear the \u2063turmoil, in aggregate, could spoil their chances of keeping the House in\u2063 November. The lack\u2064 of unity also denies them leverage in \u200dthe very fight conservatives want to wage.<\/p>\n<p>But Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), a Democratic appropriator, predicted that Johnson would ultimately not back out of the\u200d deal he\u2064 made with Schumer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not going to happen. I\u2019m not at \u2062all\u2062 worried,\u201d Schatz said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had a meeting with a\u200b bunch of right-wing people who will never vote for any spending bill,\u201d he said, \u201cand he politely accommodated them in\u200d listening. He just said he made no \u2063commitments, and the only commitment he\u2019s made is the top \u2062lines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cami Mondeaux and Reese Gorman contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What impact is the uncertainty surrounding Speaker Johnson&#8217;s stance on\u2063 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/government-spending-fight-is-house-gops-only-leverage-point-chip-roy-says\/\" title=\"Chip Roy says that the government spending fight is the House GOP's sole leverage point.\">government funding standoff<\/a> already having on financial markets and federal employees<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ng to pre-pandemic levels and is\u2062 pressuring Johnson to take a hardline stance. \u2064While it is unlikely that Democrats would agree to such drastic\u200b cuts, the Freedom Caucus is not backing down.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson&#8217;s decision-making process\u2064 is further\u200c complicated by the upcoming midterm elections. With control of the House hanging in the \u2062balance, Johnson is under pressure to appease both the conservative base and centrist Republicans. This delicate balancing act is a challenge that all speakers face, but is particularly difficult in today&#8217;s polarized political climate.<\/p>\n<p>The uncertainty surrounding Johnson&#8217;s stance on the government funding standoff is already having\u200d an impact. Financial markets are jittery, unsure of what the \u200bfuture holds for government spending and the economy. And federal employees, who have\u200c already dealt with the hardships of previous \u200bgovernment shutdowns,\u200d are left in limbo, unsure if they will be furloughed once \u200bagain.<\/p>\n<p>It is imperative that Johnson and his counterparts in the Senate and White House find a \u200bway to navigate\u200d this funding standoff. The consequences of a government shutdown during a pandemic are immense. Vital services \u2064could be disrupted, economic growth could be stunted,\u2063 and the \u2064American people\u200c would once again be left wondering if their elected officials can come together and govern effectively.<\/p>\n<p>The responsibility now \u2064falls\u2063 on Speaker Johnson to make a decision and stick with it. Regardless of the pressure from hard-liners or the tenuous balance of power in Congress, Johnson must prioritize the needs of the American people over any political calculations. It is time for him \u2063to\u2063 lead \u200dwith conviction and find a path forward \u200dthat ensures the government remains\u2063 funded and operational.<\/p>\n<p>The next few days will be \u2063crucial. Speaker Johnson must demonstrate strong leadership and resolve\u2064 if he\u2063 wants to quell the\u200d uncertainty and move \u2062the government funding process forward. The American people are counting \u200con him and the rest of Congress to put aside \u2064partisan squabbles and work together to find a solution. Only then can we truly move forward and \u2062address the pressing\u2063 issues \u200bfacing our nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) offered hope for a resolution in Washington, aiming to avoid the usual brinkmanship over government funding. He reached an agreement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on spending limits and hinted at a possible change in his stance against passing another bill<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2147032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2147031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2147031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2147031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2147031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2147032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2147031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2147031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2147031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}