Shutting down the government is off the table. But for a while there it was just the kind of boneheaded move that will add to our chances in next Roevember’s elections, and in special elections between now and then. Please proceed, Republicans.
This is a Big Deal to me, but the MSM hasn’t made much of it. Oh, right, madness and chaos drive clicks and eyeballs. Getting stuff done is bo-ring. Amirite?
Democrats and Senate Republicans team up to save Mike Johnson from a government shutdown
The House of Representatives once again did the minimum in fulfilling its legislative mandate on Tuesday, voting 336-95 to keep funding the government past the deadline on Friday. It passed because of Democrats–209 of them. They did it without a lot of enthusiasm since the approach that Speaker Mike Johnson took on the continuing resolution is unproven and kind of bizarre, but they saved the day nonetheless.
Nobody particularly likes this CR. Johnson chose to double the jeopardy of a future shutdown by having two funding expiration dates in this one resolution: Funding for military and veterans programs, Agriculture and food agencies, and the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development would expire on Jan. 19, and for the State, Defense, Commerce, Labor, and Health and Human Services departments, among others, funding would expire on Feb. 2. That didn’t go over well with the White House or either party in the Senate initially, but since it doesn’t include the kinds of drastic funding cuts House Republicans have been pushing all year, everyone decided to give Johnson the help.
We wanted a clean CR with no poison pills, and we had the leverage.
Only a few of the most wackadoodle House Rs like Chip Roy of TX and MTG of GA haven’t gotten the memo that government shutdowns lose elections. Well, not their own elections, so why would they care?