Mike Johnson seeks 'significant support from Democrats' on stopgap spending bill

With its 2024 presidential election only six weeks away, the United States is once again facing the possibility of a partial federal government shutdown. And members of Congress are hotly debating proposals for government funding.

According to The Hill, some House Republicans are "changing course on the process" for getting a three-month funding bill passed.

In an article published by The Hill on September 23, reporters Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell explain, "Now, the stopgap — which would keep the government funded through December 20 — is expected to hit the floor this week under suspension of the rules, a process that bypasses the need to pass a procedural rule, requires significant support from Democrats to reach the two-thirds support threshold needed for passage, and is abhorred by hardline conservatives. It is just the latest hurdle for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Republicans on the government funding legislation, after an initial House GOP gambit on funding failed due to opposition from within their own party last week."

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The stopgap bill, according to Brooks and Schnell, "is poised to sail through the House now that it is being considered under suspension of the rules, with a large number of Democrats and a significant cohort of Republicans expected to back the measure."

After that, it would go to the U.S. Senate for consideration, with a September 30 shutdown deadline looming.

Brooks and Schnell note that politically, this "situation" is "far from ideal" for Johnson.

"Hardline conservatives have criticized both Johnson and his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), for bringing bills to the floor that got more support from Democrats than Republicans," the reporters observe. "McCarthy was also ousted from the speakership a year ago just after a remarkably similar situation, after he was forced to fast-track a short-term stopgap due to Republicans tanking a partisan option."

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Read The Hill's full article at this link.