Speaker Johnson's government funding strategy is on life support as defections mount
NBCSEP 13 2024
US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) suspended Wednesday's vote on a short-term government funding bill after members of his party voiced opposition to its contents.
More than a dozen Republicans expressed opposition to the bill, which is meant to fund the government for the next six months and avoid a government shut down if not passed by Oct. 1.
While the GOP holds a narrow 220-211 majority in the House, a large enough group of fiscal conservatives thought the $1.6T price tag was too high, with others opposing it for not increasing defense spending.
Mike Johnson has been dealt an almost impossible task thanks to the obvious pushback from Democrats mixed with the fringe but powerful group of Republicans to his right. The government needs to be funded, and Johnson knows that inorder to get that done, he'll either have to convince his right-wing adversaries to join him or offer the other side some concessions.
Unfortunately for Mike Johnson, his party has been captured by Trump and his delusional beliefs about voter registration. While the Speaker attempts to keep the government afloat, a handful of his colleagues have chosen to hold the country hostage and complain about non-existent illegal voters.
Whether Republicans or Democrats are in charge, these theatrical last-minute spending bill debates alway result in the government increasing the national debt. Both parties will pretend to bicker over certain issues, but in the end the Democrats will get their bloated welfare spending and Republicans will grow the military industrial complex.