In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, the House of Representatives, led by newly-appointed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, secured a decisive vote of 336 to 95 on Tuesday to advance a novel plan preventing a looming government shutdown. This collaborative effort involved a coalition of Democrats and mainstream Republicans, sidestepping opposition from the far-right faction within the Republican ranks.
The endorsed stopgap spending package, slated to fund government departments into early 2024, comfortably surpassed the required two-thirds majority for expedited passage. Notably, 93 Republicans and two Democrats opposed the measure.
As federal agencies braced for a potential shutdown that could disrupt paychecks for millions of federal workers just days before Thanksgiving, the House’s approval sets the stage for the bill’s review in the Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed the Senate’s commitment to voting on the measure “as soon as possible,” with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also endorsing the two-tiered plan.
Johnson’s untested “laddered” approach, which garnered Democratic support, aims to extend funding for federal agencies into the new year. The strategy employs two different deadlines, affording lawmakers more time to finalize their appropriations bills. This method seeks to avert a contentious showdown over government spending, which led to the removal of Johnson’s predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Despite portraying his approach as innovative and positioning conservatives favorably for future spending battles, Johnson’s plan maintains spending at levels set at the end of the previous year, without the significant cuts advocated by the far-right. The strategy emphasizes a pragmatic approach to avoid a shutdown and buy time for further negotiations.
Prominent House Democrats urged their caucus to support the Republican plan, emphasizing a commitment to placing people over politics and finding common ground with Republican colleagues. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro praised Democrats for averting “Republican chaos” but urged immediate commencement of a good-faith conference process between appropriations committee leaders.
While some conservative factions, including the House Freedom Caucus, expressed disapproval for the plan, Johnson defended his strategy, asserting that deeper spending cuts lacked sufficient support within the House Republican majority.
As the bill heads to the Senate, the collaborative effort between Democrats and mainstream Republicans signals a departure from recent political turbulence, providing a pragmatic solution to impending fiscal challenges.