During a tense negotiating session, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reportedly put his own job on the line when attempting to win over holdouts within his own party.
Politico reported Thursday — shortly after the House of Representatives narrowly voted on a 216-214 margin in favor of a budget bill — that Johnson persuaded members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus to vote with him by risking the speakership itself. Some present during the session referred to Johnson's promise as a "blood oath," according to Politico's sources.
One sticking point among roughly a dozen or so members of the House Republican Conference was including at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts in the final legislation. House Republicans were reportedly upset with the Senate Republican version of the bill, believing it didn't cut budgets for federal agencies as much as they would prefer.
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According to a memorandum that Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) shared with the press, Johnson “committed to maintaining linkage between provisions that result in a deficit increase ... and provisions that reduce federal spending,” and that he would usher in a “fiscally responsible product.” This promise is likely what sealed the deal to get a critical number of votes on Thursday.
Johnson's so-called "blood oath" is a reference to the "motion to vacate" that Republicans in the current meeting of Congress insisted remain in the current rules that govern proceedings in the lower chamber of Congress. Johnson's predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from his seat with a motion to vacate filed by then-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), which a handful of Republicans supported in addition to all Democrats.
Under prior rules, just one member could put a motion to vacate on the floor. However, while the motion remains in place, it now requires several more lawmakers to join the motion. When Johnson was running to keep the gavel in January, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) explained that support for his continued leadership was dependent on his willingness to agree to the Freedom Caucus' demands in matters of federal spending and the national debt.
The current budget bill, as it stands, includes a 10-year extension of President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cut legislation, which is due to expire at the end of this year. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that a full extension could cost approximately $4.6 trillion.
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Click here to read Politico's report in full.