The House Rules Committee on Monday voted against voting on a short-term spending bill that would prevent a government shutdown, setting the stage for a scenario in which Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to rely on Democrats to pass the controversial measure.
Johnson’s three-month continuation resolution, which would keep the government funded until Dec. 20, was expected to be among the bills the Republican-controlled committee was expected to approve Monday night, but it was not brought forward for consideration after several Republicans expressed opposition to the measure.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a member of the Rules Committee, argued that the House Speaker was trying to “create a government funding crisis the week before Christmas” to pressure lawmakers to vote for a bill being written “behind closed doors.”
“Why Christmas? So he can pressure lawmakers to vote for a bill they haven’t read, using their desire to see their families on Christmas Eve against them,” the Kentucky Republican wrote on X.
“We should fund the whole thing for a year,” Massie said of his preferred approach.
Without such a rule, the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives is expected to bring the budget bill to a vote under a procedure known as a suspension of rules, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass.
According to CBS News, Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise indicated that the Continuation Resolution (CR) is planned to be put to a vote on Wednesday.
The Republican caucus has a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, meaning that several Democrats must support the three-month CR for it to pass.
Johnson, 52, unveiled his “Plan B” budget on Sunday after the House rejected his first proposal, which would have combined a six-month budget freeze with a measure requiring voters to show proof of citizenship to cast their ballots.
“While this is not the solution any of us would prefer, it is the most sensible course of action in the current circumstances,” Johnson wrote in a letter to his colleagues. “As history teaches and recent polls confirm, it would be an act of political misconduct to shut down the government less than 40 days before a fateful election.”
Last Wednesday, 14 Republicans in the House joined a majority of Democrats in voting against the original CR bill. Had it passed, it would have faced fierce opposition in the Senate.
