In order to prevent a potential year-end “spending monstrosity” and guarantee that government financing continues until the beginning of the following year, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has introduced a calculated short-term spending plan.
As stated on Saturday by Fox News, the “two-step proposal would fund part of the government until Jan. 19, and the rest until Feb. 2.” Two congressional sources told the newspaper that Johnson hopes to have a vote on Tuesday.
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“Supporters of a staggered short-term bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), argue it puts targeted pressure on lawmakers to achieve their goals at an incremental rate,” Fox News Digital made further notice. “Johnson’s CR includes no additional funding for Ukraine or Israel, but it does extend key programs under the Farm Bill, another must-pass piece of legislation that expires this year.”
Johnson’s proposal, which extends financing into the next year, places a higher priority on preventing Congress from making snap choices over the holiday season. Remarkably, it also does not include President Biden’s proposal for an additional $106 billion in spending for vital regions such as the southern border, Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine.
In a one-page plan summary, the speaker’s office stated that the strategy would “prevent another irresponsible ‘Christmas omnibus’ spending monstrosity.”
“This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories,” Following its unveiling, Johnson stated in a statement.
“The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess,” he added. “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.”
Fox adds:
Prepare for action as legislators take up important issues related to funding! These often less contentious measures are in the limelight and cover a wide range of topics, from military construction and veterans affairs to agriculture, energy and water, transportation, and housing and urban development. And that’s only the start; by February 2, eight other appropriations bills still need to be resolved. Await the exciting conclusion of this legislative adventure with anticipation.
House Republicans pledge to adopt twelve different spending measures for the next fiscal year rather than the large “omnibus” financing package that the last Democratic Congress passed.
Several Republicans have already expressed their disapproval.
“My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the [House GOP] cannot be overstated. Funding [former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.] level spending & policies for 75 days – for future ‘promises,’’ After a conference call with solely House GOP members, Chip Roy, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Freedom Caucus Policy, posted on X.
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Keep an eye on this bill, as it perfectly fits with Johnson’s pledge to restore budgetary restraint to the GOP-controlled House.
A Louisiana Republican, facing an ongoing conflict with Hamas, is advocating for $14.8 billion in aid for Israel. Twelve Democrats vote across party lines to pass the law in spite of President Biden’s threatened veto.
Republicans’ first priority, the Internal Revenue Service, will have to make the same budget cutbacks as stipulated by the law.
Johnson retaliated against Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” after Schumer called the Speaker’s legislative proposal not “serious.”
“The proposal is simply not a serious one, and worse, it still wastes precious time at a moment when we need to help Israel and Ukraine and send humanitarian aid to Gaza ASAP,” Schumer said.
Johnson pointed out that further tens of millions of dollars had been sought by the White House for Ukraine, thus it was “really surprising to hear Sen. Schumer say that it’s not a serious proposal.”
“What they don’t like is that in the House, we’re trying to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ resources,” he added. “We offset that spending. Instead of printing new dollars and/or borrowing it from another nation to send over to fulfill our obligations and help our ally, we want to pay for it. What a concept, and we’re trying to change how Washington works.”
“And so, by taking that money from this giant fund—over $65 billion that’s sitting there to build up the IRS—we weighed those priorities and said, You know what? It’s more important to protect Israel right now than it is to hire more IRS agents,” he continued.
“Apparently, Senator Schumer disagrees with that. But I’ll take that debate to the American people all day long,” he added.
