House Republicans under the leadership of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are preparing yet another temporary spending band-aid (continuing resolution) in order to avert a Nov. 18 government shutdown, which they could vote on as early as this week, lawmakers said following a meeting with Johnson.
This is Johnson's first high-stakes negotiation as speaker, following the ouster of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), shortly after the House passed the last continuing resolution.
Johnson's options are as follows (via Punchbowl News).
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Under a laddered CR, agencies that have drawn Republican animosity – such as the DOJ, would be on a longer funding timeline, while departments with more widespread support, such as Veterans Affairs, would receive a shorter deadline, Bloomberg reports.
Does it have a chance?
The Democratic reaction to the stopgap proposal will hinge on whether Republicans demand offsetting spending cuts or other policy provisions. House Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) wasn't too hot on the idea.
"Sounds like they want multiple shutdowns spread out over different calendar years," he said.
Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), a member of the Freedom Caucus, said "We’ll focus on passing our spending bills. And if we need a little bit of time on that, I think you’ll see very short spending bills with some leverage points put in there for wins for the American people."
Johnson and party leaders will meet Tuesday morning behind closed doors to discuss options, with the intention of averting the internal dissent that tripped up Kevin McCarthy.
According to Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), "We’ve got to get on it, like now."