House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is facing significant opposition from within his own party as he attempts to push through a massive government spending package aimed at averting a partial shutdown at the end of the month.
The plan, which combines a six-month continuing resolution (CR) with the controversial Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, could fail in the Republican-led House of Representatives this week.
Johnson’s proposal would extend federal funding through March and mandate proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.
However, at least six GOP lawmakers have publicly announced their opposition to the plan, more than the four defections Republicans can afford given their razor-thin majority.
Despite the growing resistance, Johnson announced that he remains resolute.
“I am in this to win this,” he told reporters at his weekly news conference. “We are going to put the SAVE Act and the CR together, and we’re going to move that through the process. And I am resolved to that; we’re not looking at any other alternative.”
“There is no fallback position. This is a righteous fight,” Johnson said. “This is what the American people demand and deserve.”
However, Johnson’s strategy faces opposition from multiple fronts within the GOP.
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chair of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed concerns about the impact on defense spending, saying, “Six months are terrible for defense.”
Fiscal conservatives, like Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., are opposing the CR on principle.
“I haven’t supported a CR since I arrived here, and I don’t intend to start now,” Rosendale told reporters. “I think it’s a crutch that’s been abused by Congress for many, many years.”
Meanwhile, some moderate Republicans are withholding support until they hear Johnson’s contingency plans. One anonymous moderate Republican reportedly told The Hill, “It’s always good to know what the follow-on plans are,” and added, “We have step one, which is put this thing up, and we know what step three is gonna end up being — clean CR or a government shutdown — so I don’t understand what that middle section looks like.”
The proposal also faces strong opposition from Democrats because it is trying to reign-in the Biden administration’s spending.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called the SAVE Act “partisan and extreme” in a letter to House Democrats on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned colleagues, “We will not let poison pills or Republican extremism put funding for critical programs at risk.”
The White House has already issued a veto threat, further complicating Johnson’s strategy.
Some Republicans, like Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., support the plan to avoid an end-of-year omnibus spending bill.
“I think it is worth trying to avoid a CR into the lame-duck and then an omnibus in December. … I think that would be far worse,” Good said.