Speaker Mike Johnson has pulled a bill that would fund the government for six months, due to Republican dissent. Current funding expires on September 30.
“There is no vote today because we are trying to find consensus here in Congress. That’s just how it is with narrow majorities,” Johnson told reporters outside the House chamber. “We are having deep conversations, family conversations within the Republican conference, and I believe we will get it done.”
The bill already faces an uphill battle, as Johnson has committed to including the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act) in the spending bill. So Johnson needs a near-unanimous Republican vote to get the bill to the Senate, where the same spending theater we know and love will ensue.
Republican concerns fall into two categories. There are Republicans who oppose continuing spending at current levels, and there are those who oppose the idea of a continuation resolution and demand that Congress do its job and pass annual spending bills rather than pass a Porkulus Act that will be maintained for multiple years through continuation resolutions.
