Speaker Johnson looks to jam Senate Democrats with bill to avert shutdown
Before Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can dare Senate Democrats to reject a Republican-crafted bill to avert an end-of-week shutdown, he has to pull off a feat: keeping his fractious, razor-thin majority united behind the legislation.
The House is set to vote Tuesday on a continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the government funded through Sept. 30, boost funding for defense and impose cuts for nondefense programs. Republicans have touted the stopgap as “clean” as they look to move it ahead of Friday’s funding deadline.
Democrats, however, have argued that the measure is far from “clean,” hammering away at what they say will be cuts to health care, nutritional assistance and veterans benefits. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and his two deputies announced Saturday they will oppose the bill, and leadership is whipping against the measure.
Should Democrats oppose the stopgap in unison, a real prospect considering their language and the political cover that some of the bill’s provisions could give them, Johnson will have to rely on his slim majority to get the measure across the finish line.
If there is full attendance and complete Democratic opposition, he can afford just one GOP defection — which he already lost when Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) announced he would vote “no.”
The hope is to pass the stopgap, which has the backing of President Trump, in the House and send it to the Senate, where Democratic support is needed to clear the chamber’s 60-vote threshold — challenging Democrats, who are hungering for ways to oppose Trump, to vote against legislation that would avert a shutdown.
But part one of that plan — moving the bill out of the House — will be a photo-finish for Johnson.
The Speaker, for his part — having recently overseen a successful and dramatic party-line vote on a budget resolution to tee up Trump’s legislative agenda — is confident he will achieve the task at hand.
“It will pass,” Johnson told reporters Monday. “Because no one wants to shut the government down, and we are governing doing the responsible thing as Republicans. It’s going to be up to Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats to do the right thing.”
Johnson had some eleventh-hour convincing to do as of Monday afternoon.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who has a history of bucking leadership on some fiscal matters, told The Hill on Sunday night he is still undecided on the measure. Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), similarly, told Politico he has not decided whether he will back the bill.
On the other end of the GOP political spectrum, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), the co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, said he has not taken a stance on the measure, saying on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday “like most bills, there’s some good in there, there’s some not so good in there.”
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who previously voiced opposition to a CR, meanwhile, said he will make up his mind right before the vote.
“Game time decision,” he told The Hill on Monday.
While several GOP lawmakers remain on the fence, just one House Republican — Massie — is a firm “no” thus far. The Kentucky conservative suggested there was no way to get him on board at this juncture.
“Unless I get a lobotomy Monday that causes me to forget what I’ve witnessed the past 12 years, I’ll be a NO on the CR this week,” Massie wrote Monday on the social platform X. “It amazes me that my colleagues and many of the public fall for the lie that we will fight another day.”
Despite the GOP uncertainty, House Republican leaders feel good about getting their ducks in a row this week. Trump has urged Republicans to vote in favor of the measure, and the bill contains provisions that appeal to sometimes skeptical defense hawks and fiscal hawks alike.
“It’s gonna pass,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said. “Donald Trump wants it. It’s going to pass.”
“I don’t even have a concern about Thomas,” Emmer said when asked about potential defections beyond Massie. “We’re gonna be fine. We’re gonna be fine. People can vote the way they want. It’s gonna pass.”
In a good sign for leadership, prominent Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus — including its chair, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a board member — are in support of the stopgap, despite opposing such measures in the past as they argued for Congress to follow a regular process.
Now, the hard-line conservatives say the stopgap will keep the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) running to continue taking a sledgehammer to the federal bureaucracy.
And Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), another unpredictable fiscal hawk who was the final holdout last month on the budget resolution, has signaled approval for the Trump-baked CR plan.
The first test for Johnson and his leadership team will come during a vote on the rule — which governs debate on the legislation — a traditionally mundane, party-line referendum that showcases where support stands for various measures. In recent years, however, some lawmakers have opposed the procedural vote to protest bills which, if successful, derails the legislative effort.
No Republicans so far have said they plan to vote against the rule. If the legislation clears that procedural hurdle, its next step would be a final vote.
A major wild card surrounding the CR’s chances of clearing the House, however, is how Democrats approach the measure — both on attendance and votes.
Democratic absences could buy Johnson some breathing room, allowing him more defections that would still allow the measure to pass. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s (D-Texas) unexpected death last week means Democrats are down a seat, while Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has been absent for weeks as he battles cancer, and Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) has been on maternity leave, though she returned to D.C. last month to vote against the House GOP’s budget resolution.
In terms of votes, it remains unclear whether any vulnerable Democrats will buck leadership and support the measure. While most have been mum on how they plan to vote, some are closing the door on it.
“The Republican-controlled Congress needs to pass an actual budget, which their own members want,” said Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), a front-liner. “They need to rein in their donors from wreaking havoc on our government, including our veterans, and end all the harm they’re causing to this economy.”
“This bill maintains the disastrous status quo,” he added.
As for Johnson, the Speaker is not giving any indication that his bill may be in trouble, espousing optimism in the final hours before it hits the floor.
“The CR will pass, stay tuned,” he told reporters when asked what plan B is. “I don’t think it’s gonna get blocked.”
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