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☆ Johnson’s Big Problem: House Republicans Lack a Governing Majority
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Republicans may control the House, but when it comes to enacting any significant measure this Congress, it has fallen to Democrats to supply the bulk of the votes. It was the latest sign of a punishing dynamic Mr. Johnson inherited when he won the speakership in the fall. With a minuscule and shrinking majority, a restive right wing willing to defect on major issues, and a Democratic Senate and president, Mr. Johnson is presiding over a House majority in name only — not a governing majority — sapping his leverage. Moments before the temporary spending bill passed on Thursday, it appeared Mr. Johnson might fall just short of mustering the support of a majority of his majority — long the informal but sacrosanct standard for determining what legislation a G.O.P. One hundred and seven Republicans voted for the stopgap bill and 106 opposed it, with Democrats supplying most of the votes — 207 — to push through the bill.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, — Organizations: Republican, Democratic

☆ A Reporter’s Journey Into How the U.S. Funded the Bomb
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As I sat in a dark, cavernous movie theater in Berlin watching the film “Oppenheimer,” my mind was thousands of miles away. Like many other people who turned out to see the biopic, I was captivated by Christopher Nolan’s portrayal of the Trinity test and Cillian Murphy’s performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the singularly ambitious, then morally conflicted father of the atomic bomb. And if so, how did lawmakers keep it a secret? These arguably hairsplitting thoughts nagged at me thanks to my job as a congressional correspondent focused on federal spending. (I was in Berlin for a brief break — so much for that.)

Persons: “ Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s, Robert Oppenheimer Organizations: Trinity Locations: Berlin, Alamos

☆ Senate Advances Stopgap Bill to Avert a Partial Shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Senate on Tuesday took the first step in advancing a stopgap spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the week, buying time to enact a broader bipartisan funding agreement for the remainder of the year. By a 68-to-13 vote, senators voted to take up the legislation, which would temporarily extend funding for some federal agencies until March 1 and for others through March 8. Their opposition means that Mr. Johnson is all but certain to be forced once again to turn to Democrats for help in passing crucial spending legislation, in a vote expected later this week. “The key to finishing our work this week will be bipartisan cooperation in both chambers,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader. “You can’t pass these bills without support from Republicans and Democrats in both the House and the Senate.”

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, ”, Chuck Schumer, “ Organizations: Louisiana Republican, Senate, Republicans, Democrats Locations: Louisiana, New York

☆ Congressional Leaders Unveil Stopgap Bill to Head Off Shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Congressional leaders unveiled stopgap legislation on Sunday to avert a partial government shutdown, teeing up a race to pass the bipartisan spending deal into law before a deadline at the end of the week. The bill, which came out of a spending deal negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, would temporarily extend funding for some federal agencies until March 1 and for others through March 8. It would keep the government funded at its current spending levels, without any policy changes or conditions. In a sign that Democrats were preparing to muster the bulk of the votes to pass the bill, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader, signaled his backing of the bill on Sunday night. He wrote to his caucus that he was “in strong support of the effort to keep the appropriations process moving forward and avoid a disruptive partial government shutdown.”

Persons: Mike Johnson, Chuck Schumer, Johnson, —, Republicans —, Kevin McCarthy, Hakeem Jeffries Organizations: Republicans Locations: New York

☆ At the Kennedy Center, an Ode to the Arts, and a Gentle Jab at Biden’s Age
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It was the only suggestion of politics in an apolitical, if quintessentially Washington event that sees throngs of dignitaries and politicians gather each year to pay tribute to the arts. On Sunday, the Kennedy Center honored artists who not only revolutionized their genres but transcended them: Billy Crystal, the actor and comedian; Barry Gibb, the musician and songwriter who rose to fame as the eldest member of the Bee Gees; Renée Fleming, the opera singer; Queen Latifah, the rapper, singer and actress; and Dionne Warwick, the singer. Ms. Warwick, who has performed five times at the Kennedy Center and previously appeared at the honors gala to perform tributes to two separate honorees, said her reaction to learning that she would be honored was: “Finally, it’s here!”“It’s a privilege to wear this,” she said, gesturing to the signature rainbow medallion given to each honoree.

Persons: Billy Crystal, Barry Gibb, Renée Fleming, Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, Ms, Warwick, ”, gesturing Organizations: Kennedy Center, Bee Locations: Washington

After months of congressional hand-wringing, Mr. Santos finally met his demise on Friday, after Republicans and Democrats each offered separate expulsion resolutions. The resulting debate on the House floor on Thursday captured the absurdity and unseemliness of Mr. Santos’s scandals. Mr. Santos is only the sixth member of the House to be expelled in the body’s history. Mr. Santos must still contend with the federal indictment in which prosecutors have accused him of multiple criminal schemes. (That company, Harbor City Capital, has been accused of operating a Ponzi scheme by the Securities and Exchange Commission, though Mr. Santos has not been implicated.)

Persons: George Santos, Santos, Mr, “ George Santos, ”, Anthony D’Esposito, Santos’s, Mike Johnson of, Kevin McCarthy of California, Kathy Hochul, Thomas R, Suozzi, Goldman Sachs, Nancy Marks, Marks, Nicholas Fandos Organizations: New York Republican, Queens, Republican, Republicans, World Trade, House, Local, Democratic, New York Times, Baruch College, Citigroup, World Trade Center, Devolder Organization, Harbor, Harbor City Capital, Securities and Exchange Commission Locations: Orlando, Long Island, New York, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Nassau County, Queens, New York City, Orlando ., Florida, Harbor City, United States

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicBy working with Democrats to avert a government shutdown this past week, Speaker Mike Johnson seemed to put himself on the same path that doomed his predecessor. Catie Edmondson, who covers Congress for The Times, explains why things could be different this time.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Catie Edmondson Organizations: Spotify, The Times

It was the latest failure on spending bills under Mr. Johnson, the speaker elected three weeks ago. Like his predecessor, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, he managed to win approval of a temporary spending bill that took the threat of a shutdown off the table. Now, however, he is being punished for it by the far right, which is bent on slashing federal spending and conditioning it on conservative policies. In preventing a shutdown, Mr. Johnson essentially took the same bipartisan path that cost Mr. McCarthy the speakership last month. We want to see good, righteous policy, but we’re not going to be part of the failure theater anymore.”

Persons: Johnson, Kevin McCarthy of California, ”, Chip Roy, Roy, McCarthy, Johnson’s, “ We’ve, Scott Perry, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, “, we’re Organizations: Republicans, Commerce, State, Justice, Freedom Caucus Locations: Texas, Scott Perry of

☆ House Heads Toward Vote on Johnson’s Plan to Avert Shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The House on Tuesday pressed toward a vote on legislation to keep federal funding flowing into early 2024, as a bloc of Democrats tacitly signaled their willingness to back a plan opposed by many Republicans to avert a shutdown at the end of the week. A vote was expected late Tuesday afternoon. House Democratic leaders have yet to state an official position on the bill. Many of them have questioned the proposal because it contains two staggered deadlines for funding different parts of the federal government, one on Jan. 19 and one on Feb. 2. But an increasing number of Democrats privately said that they planned to vote for it because it did not include any spending cuts or policy changes — both demands of hard-right Republicans — and because they saw no other way to prevent a shutdown.

Persons: Mike Johnson, —, Republicans —, Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries Organizations: Republicans, Democratic, House Democratic, NPR Locations: New York

Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal to avert a government shutdown at the end of the week ran into increasing opposition on Monday from hard-line Republicans. But with Democratic opposition softening, it appeared the plan could be headed toward bipartisan approval within days. The shifting alliances came as the House planned to take its first action on the bill as early as Tuesday. The move cost Mr. McCarthy his speakership. But Mr. Johnson — who is far more conservative than Mr. McCarthy — was not expected to face similar blowback from Republicans, who are not eager to repeat the dysfunction and paralysis that followed their last speaker’s ouster.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Johnson —, McCarthy — Locations: Israel, Ukraine

☆ Johnson Pitches Bill to Avert Government Shutdown That Faces an Uncertain Fate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Speaker Mike Johnson on Saturday pitched House Republicans on a convoluted plan to avert a government shutdown at the end of next week, proposing a bill that would temporarily extend funding for some federal agencies until late January and for others through early February. The measure faces an uncertain fate in Congress. Many conservative House Republicans have demanded that any spending plan include deep spending cuts, and Democrats and some G.O.P. senators have sharply questioned the idea of bifurcating federal programs and staggering the deadlines for funding them. Some members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus have endorsed the two-step idea in recent days.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson Organizations: Saturday, Republicans, House Republicans

Tuesday’s election results drove home to some Republicans in Congress what they already know and fear — that their party has alienated critical blocs of voters with its policies and message, particularly on abortion. And the results stiffened their resolve to resist such measures, even if it means breaking with the party at a critical time in a high-stakes fight over federal spending. “The American people are speaking very clearly: There is no appetite for national abortion law,” Representative John Duarte of California, a Republican who represents a district that President Biden won in 2020, said on Thursday. Between mainstream Republicans’ resistance to the abortion provision in the financial services bill and rising discontent among the hard-right flank that the legislation did not include a measure barring funding for a new F.B.I. building, it became clear the bill did not have the votes.

Persons: John Duarte, Biden, ”, Duarte Organizations: Republicans, Republican, Republican Party Locations: John Duarte of California

At odds with one another on spending, House Republicans abruptly scrapped their legislative work on Thursday and left Washington with little progress toward funding the government and no plan to avert a shutdown next week. That effort would involve rallying deeply anti-spending Republicans around a stopgap funding bill that is likely to be a dead letter in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Instead of revealing a path forward to keep the government open, Mr. Johnson spent the week trying and failing to push through two individual spending bills that collapsed for lack of G.O.P. It was yet another reflection of the rifts among House Republicans that have made their tiny majority ungovernable, leading to the ouster of their last speaker and so far confounding his successor, who is far more conservative and less experienced. When it’s 220 and you’ve got as many individual personalities — and to be fair, different interests and different districts — that’s a risky game to play.”

Persons: Mike Johnson, —, Johnson, ”, Tom Cole of Oklahoma, “, you’ve Organizations: Republicans, Democratic Locations: Washington

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicIt’s been one month since the attack on Israel, but Washington has yet to deliver an aid package to its closest ally. The reason has to do with a different ally, in a different war: Speaker Mike Johnson has opposed continued funding for Ukraine, and wants the issue separated from aid to Israel, setting up a clash between the House and Senate. Catie Edmondson, who covers Congress for The Times, discusses the battle within the Republican Party over whether to keep funding Ukraine.

Persons: It’s, Mike Johnson, Catie Edmondson Organizations: Spotify, Ukraine, Senate, The Times, Republican Party Locations: Israel, Washington, Ukraine

They found themselves back in the same predicament they confronted in September, when Congress narrowly avoided a shutdown just hours before the deadline. With that temporary funding measure set to expire in days, Mr. Johnson appears set on avoiding a repeat of the circumstances that doomed his predecessor. That means he will need to corral nearly all Republicans to pass a government funding measure, a considerable feat given his party’s resistance to federal spending. “We certainly want to avoid a government shutdown,” Mr. Johnson said. At a closed-door meeting underneath the Capitol on Tuesday morning, Mr. Johnson presented a menu of spending strategies to his conference.

Persons: Biden, Mike Johnson, Drew Ferguson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, “, Mr, ” Mr, McCarthy Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Capitol, Republicans Locations: Georgia, Israel, Ukraine

☆ House Set to Pass Aid Bill for Israel, Clashing With Biden and Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The House on Thursday headed toward passage of a $14.3 billion aid package for Israel in its war with Hamas, defying a veto threat from President Biden and bipartisan opposition in the Senate, and posing a dilemma for Democrats who staunchly back the Jewish state. Lawmakers were set to vote on a bill put forward by the newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson that would couple military funding for Israel with a provision slashing the same amount for a tax enforcement initiative at the Internal Revenue Service, part of the Inflation Reduction Act and a key piece of President Biden’s agenda. The measure is headed for a bipartisan bloc of opposition in the Senate, where lawmakers favor packaging aid for Israel with money to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion, as well as for other global crises. Mr. Biden has requested such a package, totaling $105 billion, and White House officials said on Tuesday that he would veto the House bill because it was limited to Israel. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said in a speech ahead of the House vote on Thursday that the Senate would not take up the House-passed proposal at all, and would instead craft its own bipartisan bill containing aid for Israel and Ukraine, and humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Persons: Biden, Mike Johnson, Biden’s, Chuck Schumer Organizations: Senate, Israel, Internal Revenue Service, White Locations: Israel, Ukraine, New York, Gaza

Mr. Johnson, the Louisiana Republican who has personally voted against sending military aid to Kyiv, released a $14 billion aid bill for Israel on Monday. But Mr. Johnson spurned that request, in an acknowledgment of how toxic funding for Ukraine has become among Republicans. agents,” Mr. Johnson said. “Instead of advancing a serious proposal to defend Israel, defend Ukraine and provide humanitarian aid, this House G.O.P. My guess is you can get Ukraine aid passed, probably as a stand-alone bill here.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Biden, Johnson, Biden’s, Fox News’s, ” Mr, Chuck Schumer, Mr, Kevin McCarthy, Thomas Massie of, Marjorie Taylor Greene, “, ’, Ms, Greene, —, Steven Ellis, MacGuineas, Mitch McConnell of, ”, Schumer, McConnell, Oksana Markarova, I’ve, Johnson’s, Susan Collins of, “ I’m, Josh Hawley, Let’s, Hawley, McConnell “, let’s, Patty Murray, Antony J, Blinken, ” Zach Montague Organizations: Senate, Louisiana Republican, Internal Revenue Service, Israel, Fox, Democratic, Republicans, United, Taxpayers, Federal Budget, Biden, Republican, University of Louisville, Ukraine, Mr Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Louisiana, Kyiv, Taiwan, United States, New York, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, America, Kentucky, Ukrainian, Susan Collins of Maine, Gaza, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Washington, Russia, Iran

Rushing to meet an urgent spending deadline and facing a revolt from House Republicans, congressional leaders left money for Ukraine out of a short-term bill to keep federal funding flowing. But the ouster days later of Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, from the speaker’s post and the installation of Mr. Johnson, a right-wing Republican with a history of voting against Ukraine assistance, has shifted the dynamics. Now leaders are facing yet another shutdown deadline on Nov. 17, and congressional Democrats, White House officials and some leading Republicans are scrambling to salvage Ukraine aid. In the days since his election, Mr. Johnson has signaled that he will not seek to block aid to Ukraine altogether, but he has also made it clear that he wants to consider it separately from any assistance for Israel, and put tight restrictions on it. “Our consensus among House Republicans is that we need to bifurcate those issues,” Mr. Johnson said of Ukraine and Israel assistance in an interview on Thursday with Sean Hannity of Fox News.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Biden’s, Kevin McCarthy, Johnson, Johnson’s, Mr, Sean Hannity, “ We’re, ” Mr Organizations: Louisiana Republican, Kyiv, Hamas, House Republicans, Republican, Ukraine, White, Mr, Republicans, Israel, Fox News Locations: Ukraine, California, Kyiv, Israel

☆ Johnson Faces the Same Spending Dilemmas That Plagued McCarthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Now it falls to Mr. Johnson, a fourth-term congressman who has never served in a top leadership position before, to try to keep his anti-spending party united and the government open — all in a matter of weeks. The previous speaker, Kevin McCarthy, found it impossible to corral recalcitrant Republicans to pass legislation to keep federal funding flowing and prevent a politically and economically damaging shutdown. Mr. Johnson was among a majority of Republicans who opposed that stopgap spending bill. In the days leading up to the government shutdown deadline in September, Mr. McCarthy put forward a stopgap measure that severely slashed spending. Twenty-one conservative lawmakers opposed it, tanking the bill and declaring that they would not vote for a temporary funding measure under any circumstances.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Biden, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy Organizations: House Republican, Republicans Locations: Israel, Ukraine

☆ House Elects Mike Johnson as Speaker, Ending Three Weeks of Chaos and Paralysis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana won election on Wednesday as the 56th speaker of the House of Representatives, putting an end to three weeks of chaos that left the chamber without a leader and put Republican divisions on display. Republicans elevated Mr. Johnson, 51, a little-known and deeply conservative lawmaker, after a tumultuous fight. It began after the hard right ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and raged on as the divided House G.O.P. Worn down by a brutal stretch of infighting that unleashed a barrage of recriminations and violent threats against lawmakers, both the hard-right flank of the party and mainstream Republicans united to elect Mr. Johnson in a 220-to-209 vote. Republicans jumped to their feet and applauded after Representative Patrick T. McHenry of North Carolina, the interim speaker, declared that Mr. Johnson was the “duly elected speaker of the House of Representatives.”

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Patrick T, McHenry, ” Organizations: Representatives Locations: Louisiana, McHenry of North Carolina

3 House Republican, dropped his bid only hours after securing the nomination. A social conservative, Mr. Johnson is a lawyer and the former chairman of the Republican Study Committee. This conference that you see, this House Republican majority, is united. Some on the right opposed to Mr. Emmer cited his vote in favor of codifying federal protections for same-sex couples. Mr. Emmer had attempted to mollify Mr. Trump by calling him over the weekend and praising him, according to the former president.

Persons: Tom Emmer, Mike Johnson, Emmer’s, Donald J, Trump, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Mr, rouser, Trump’s, “, ”, Virginia Foxx, Mike Johnson of, We’re, Haiyun Jiang, McCarthy, Steve Womack, I’m, ” Mr, holdouts, Emmer, MAGA, Byron Donalds of, Hakeem Jeffries, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, Biden, that’s, Robert Jimison Organizations: Republicans, Republican, Committee, Education, Minnesota, Credit, The New York Times, Mr, “ Republican, Trump, Caucus, Freedom Caucus, Republican Party, America First Voters Locations: Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Ukraine, Arkansas, American, Byron Donalds of Florida, New York, Ohio

House Republicans have elected two nominees for the job since a hard-right clutch of lawmakers toppled Speaker Kevin McCarthy. House Republicans cast aside Mr. Jordan as their nominee for speaker on Friday in a secret-ballot vote, essentially moving to begin the search for a new leader all over again. They are holding an internal election for a new nominee on Tuesday — and if they elect one, Republicans could go to the House floor for a vote later that day. The math can change if there are absences, or if any lawmakers vote “present” rather than in support of a candidate. Empowering Mr. McHenry, one of Mr. McCarthy’s closest allies, was regarded by many far-right members as akin to reinstalling Mr. McCarthy as speaker.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, Ohio —, Jordan, McCarthy’s, Biden, Kenny Holston, McCarthy, Hakeem Jeffries, Mr, Jeffries, Patrick McHenry, Haiyun Jiang, Patrick T, McHenry, Luke Broadwater Organizations: Republican, Republicans, Conference, New York Times, Mr, Democrats, The New York Times Legislative, Hamas Locations: Louisiana, Ohio, Ukraine, New York, Israel, McHenry of North Carolina, McHenry

Follow our live updates for the House speaker nominee vote. House Republicans have elected two nominees for the job since a hard-right clutch of lawmakers toppled Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The math can change if there are absences, or if any lawmakers vote “present” rather than in support of a candidate. Mr. Jeffries has pitched the idea of forming a coalition government that he describes as an “enlightened arrangement.” But the idea is a long shot. Empowering Mr. McHenry, one of Mr. McCarthy’s closest allies, was regarded by many far-right members as akin to reinstalling Mr. McCarthy as speaker.

☆ Who is Tom Emmer, the latest Republican nominee for speaker?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

House Republicans on Tuesday elected Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 in the party, as their speaker nominee after five rounds of ballots that pointed to a precarious path forward. Mr. Emmer, 62, has served since January as the party’s whip, responsible for counting and securing the votes to pass the speaker’s agenda. He was the highest-ranking Republican in the race, and has been endorsed by the ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Several hard-right conservatives, including a handful who voted to oust Mr. McCarthy, have signaled their support for the Minnesota Republican.

Persons: Tom Emmer, Jim Jordan of, Emmer, Kevin McCarthy, Biden’s, Mr, McCarthy Organizations: Republican, Minnesota Republican Locations: Minnesota, Jim Jordan of Ohio

At least 10 Republicans have announced that they will run for speaker or that they are considering doing so since Friday, when the party cast aside Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio as its latest nominee for the leadership post. A flood of lawmakers began campaigning just hours after Republicans voted in a closed-door meeting to restart the nomination process after Mr. Jordan, his support ebbing, failed on a third floor vote to win the speakership. The vote essentially ensured that the office of the speaker would remain empty for a third week. The lawmakers vying for the job include veterans of the House, committee chairmen, a top member of Republican leadership and a sophomore. They will have to navigate the same treacherous dynamics of a bitterly divided conference that the three men before them could not, leaving some Republicans openly questioning whether anyone can win a majority of votes on the House floor.

Persons: Jim Jordan of, Jordan Organizations: Republicans, Republican Locations: Jim Jordan of Ohio

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