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House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks with Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Leader Tom Emmer during a press conference after a closed Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C., on March 20. I had a meeting with him.
The House of Representatives voted to approve a major government spending bill Friday, kickstarting the Senate for consideration and passage of the bill ahead of a fast-approaching government shutdown deadline, and underscoring Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership. energized a revolt by conservatives in the House of Representatives.
Friday’s tight schedule has raised concerns about the possibility of a partial shutdown late at night, but leading lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say they are working to prevent that.
Immediately after the House vote, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a motion to expel Johnson as speaker. The resolution does not require immediate action, but it represents the most formal and severe challenge to the Speaker’s leadership since he took office late last year.
The final vote was 286-134, with 112 Republicans and 22 Democrats voting no.
The bill addresses a range of important government functions, including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, Department of State, and the Legislature.
If both chambers of Congress fail to pass the bill by the deadline, it would temporarily lose funding and trigger a partial shutdown. If funding is approved the weekend before the business week begins, the impact of a partial closure would be limited.
Lawmakers unveiled the $1.2 trillion government funding package just before 3 a.m. ET on Thursday, and it spans more than 1,000 pages.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that the bill’s text was introduced “at the last minute,” with less than 48 hours left before the deadline for a partial government shutdown. The Democratic leader added: “Congress must hurry to pass this policy before government funding runs out this Friday.” “If the House takes action, the Senate will need bipartisan cooperation to pass the bill by Friday’s deadline and avoid a shutdown.” He mentioned the possibility of a partial closure.
After months of trying to avoid an eleventh-hour shutdown with stopgap legislation, Congress finally passed a package of six bills in early March to fund the agency for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Lawmakers will now have to fund the rest of the government to finalize the annual federal funding process, but partisan tensions have broken after conservatives ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in an unprecedented move. It has been much longer than usual amid policy disagreements and a historic change in House leadership. Last year’s vote.
Mr Johnson, who won the gavel after Mr McCarthy’s ouster, has a razor-thin majority and faces a backlash from the right over his handling of the fight over government funding. The House of Representatives will go into a two-week recess on Friday, and Greene’s resolution calling for Johnson’s ouster will be considered by the Republican conference, which will consider its next steps in the 118th Congress.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the bill early Thursday, outlining a victory for conservatives in the package.
“This FY24 spending bill strengthens our national defense by focusing the Department of Defense on its core mission while expanding support for the brave men and women who serve in uniform,” Prime Minister Johnson said in a statement. This is a serious effort.”
On Thursday, House members on both sides of the aisle slammed the deal, with progressives and far-right lawmakers criticizing the bill for a variety of reasons.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told CNN he would not support Republican lawmakers who vote for the bill, saying leadership “owns the bill” and calling the bill a “failure.” Stated.
“It would be very difficult to do something like that,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju. “If this bill passes, the Republican conference will fail.”
House progressives were also critical, with some indicating they would vote against a provision that would block funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees for one year amid allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 attack on Israel. There are some too.
Mr. McCarthy’s fate raises questions about whether Mr. Johnson could face a similar threat to his own speakership, but many Republicans have expressed concern about the vitriol caused by Mr. McCarthy’s removal from office. The party has made it clear that it does not want another presidential election due to the internal conflict and confusion.
Another six-bill funding package signed by President Joe Biden earlier this month includes funding for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. was. Food and Drug Administration, military construction, and other federal programs.
CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.
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