Senate Republicans repeatedly said this week that a short-term spending bill may be necessary to keep the government open, a harsh reality for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is balancing a looming shutdown deadline with the demands of hardline Republicans.
The last temporary spending bill Congress passed, in November, established a laddered schedule of funding deadlines, the first on Jan. 19 and the other on Feb. 2.
Meanwhile, eyes are on Johnson to follow through on the hardline Republican demands he was elected to champion.
If not, he could meet the same fate as his predecessor, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was ousted in part for conceding to Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.
While following through on the hardline demands would earn Johnson points with some House Republicans, it makes negotiating with Democrats harder, adding time to budget talks that he does not have.
Persons:
Mike Johnson, Jan, Sen, John Cornyn, John Thune, Mitch McConnell, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, Hugh Hewitt, dwindles, Chuck Schumer
Organizations:
U.S, Capitol, Republicans, Republican, CRs, Street
Locations:
Texas, Ky