Though necessary to fund the government through March 2025, a more-than 1,500-page Continuing Resolution (CR), which some described as “pork-filled,” was defeated before reaching the House floor yesterday, December 18. Leading conservatives pressured Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to drop the measure and instead focus on a simple package without additional pet projects.
Opposition leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) lambasted the decision, saying, “House Republicans, House Democrats, Senate Republicans, and Senate Democrats reached a bipartisan agreement to fund the government, keep it open and meet the needs of the American people." He continued his condemnation:
"House Republicans have now unilaterally decided to break a bipartisan agreement that they made. House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt everyday Americans all across this country ... An agreement is an agreement. It was bipartisan, and there was nothing more to say."
But just how bipartisan is a bill that would depend almost entirely on Democrat votes? And what was it that made the CR so unacceptable to the congressional Republicans?
Operation Opposition
The derailing of the CR was not solely at the hands of Donald Trump and Elon Musk – despite what many in the legacy media seem to be insisting. In fact, the opposition was far more widespread. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R) posted on his X account:
“I had hoped to see [Speaker Mike Johnson] grow a spine, but this bill full of pork shows he is a weak, weak man. The debt will continue to grow. Ultimately the dollar will fail. Democrats are clueless and Big Gov Republicans are complicit. A sad day for America.”
And the senator was not alone in airing his pre-Festivus grievances. US Representative Andrew Clyde (R-GA) noted, “The American people just delivered President Trump and congressional Republicans a decisive mandate… So why did our House Republican leadership negotiate the spending bill like we lost?”
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) wrote, “So Congress is failing the American people AGAIN and giving themselves a raise in the process? Can’t make this stuff up.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) laid the blame firmly on the shoulders of Mike Johnson, saying that he was willing to “spend BILLIONS on Ukraine and foreign wars and every pork barrel project known to man.”
So, while President-elect Trump may well have had a hand in fomenting the opposition, even without his input, there are many aspects that have congressional Republicans up in arms.
Trimming the CR Fat
While a number of GOP politicos would have been satisfied with the core pillars of the CR, it was the extras that appear to have sunk the effort. The soon-to-be 47th president took to his Truth Social account to explain his opposition:
“This is a nasty TRAP set in place by the Radical Left Democrats! They are looking to embarrass us in June when it comes up for a [debt ceiling] Vote. The people that extended it, from September 28th to June 1st, should be ashamed of themselves. It was political malpractice! Also, the Communist Global Engagement Center, a project of Crooked Hillary Clinton, should not in any way, shape, or form be extended and, the shielding of the very corrupt J6 Unselect Committee of Political Losers and Thugs would be suicidal for any Republican approving it. Likewise, this is not a good time for Congress to be asking for pay increases. Hopefully, you’ll be entitled to such an increase in the near future when we, ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’”
There’s a lot to unwrap in his message, but there are some key takeaways.
The CR would likely derail any debt ceiling negotiations set for June because it would push spending beyond the limits and require a major negotiation going into next summer. Democrats could cause almighty havoc at that time and ask for pretty much anything they wanted to ensure America’s fiscal future.
The Global Engagement Center would receive extra funding. This is the State Department agency that has been accused of working to silence conservative voices and, most notably, has flagged Americans’ social media accounts as “Russian personas” for questioning whether the Wuhan bioresearch lab was the source of the COVID-19 outbreak. The State Department had announced it would close the GEC on December 23. However, with the CR provision offering extra funding, it would continue to operate.
And then there’s the “shielding of the very corrupt J6 Unselect.” Reports suggest that the CR would grant immunity to members of the Select Committee overseeing the January 6 investigation. A recent GOP House Oversight report details allegations against former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney and her role on the J6 committee, claiming that she “backchanneled” with witnesses and helped craft testimony.
Finally, Trump takes aim at the pay raises for members of Congress, which would increase basic salaries by roughly $7,000 per year.
Lights Out?
Speculation swirls around Speaker Johnson, suggesting he is considering a “Plan B” CR, which would essentially strip out all the pork. However, it would also involve removing measures for farmers and hurricane relief, both popular among his party colleagues.
The shutdown begins on Saturday, December 21 – barring any last-minute deals. If Johnson can craft a “clean” CR and get it to the House floor in time, he will have earned himself a lot of goodwill when it comes to retaining his position as Speaker of the House. If not, it will be a dark, cold winter in DC.
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