Unlike regular budget resolutions, which fund federal agencies for a specific period of time, the measure announced by Mr. Johnson would fund some parts of the U.S. government through Jan. 19 and others through Feb. 2.
House Speaker Mike Johnson. Photo: Reuters
“This two-step resolution is a necessary bill that puts House Republicans in the best position to win,” Johnson said in a statement after announcing the plan.
The House Republican stopgap measure does not include additional funding, such as aid to Israel or Ukraine, but the bill has drawn criticism from both sides.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the proposal “will only cause more chaos for Republicans and more government shutdowns.”
“House Republicans are wasting valuable time with a half-baked proposal that has been criticized by members of both parties,” she said.
“I strongly oppose the legislation just announced by the Speaker of the House,” hard-line Rep. Chip Roy said on the social media platform X.
Democratic Senator Brian Schatz called Mr Johnson's measure "super complicated," adding that "all this nonsense is costing the people money."
Johnson warned Democrats that failure to reach a spending deal in 2024 would force Republicans to implement “multiple stopgap bills throughout the coming year with appropriate adjustments to meet national security priorities.”
House Republican hardliners are pushing to cut fiscal 2024 spending below $1.59 trillion to avert default.
But that amount is still just a fraction of the total federal budget, which includes mandatory spending on Social Security and Medicare, and is set to reach $6.1 trillion in fiscal year 2023.
Quoc Thien (according to Reuters)
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