House Republicans have a new speaker — and a new perspective on the next stopgap.
The government will shut down in 24 days without a funding solution. Unlike Kevin McCarthy, fledgling Speaker Mike Johnson likely won’t get booted from his new role for backing a spending patch to stave off a Nov. 17 funding lapse.
There’s two reasons we’ve found for that, after talking to many House conservatives:
- They trust him more than McCarthy.
- Time is short.
Several hardliners who voted to strip McCarthy of the gavel insist that Johnson represents a fresh start. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, the main Republican who pushed booting McCarthy, told us that “with Mike Johnson, there is a sincerity to get us to the single-subject bills that was illusory under McCarthy.”Buying time: Many House conservatives say it’s understandable that Johnson will need to deploy a temporary funding fix next month. That way, they argue, Republicans have time to finish passing a dozen annual spending bills that seek steep cuts and GOP policy changes. Of course, those bills still don’t have a shot of passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
“The failures of the previous speaker left this speaker in a tough spot,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy three weeks ago. “There’s a new level of trust with Speaker Johnson that didn’t exist previously.”
The timing: Federal cash expires in just over three weeks. Johnson, who has only been in Congress since 2017, is backing a so-called continuing resolution through Jan. 15 or April 15, whichever garners more GOP support.
Still tough: Realistically, Johnson also needs the support of Senate Democrats and the White House. That means he might have to make a deal on tens of billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine, Israel and the southern border — a whole other can of worms for the Louisiana Republican at the helm of a raucous Republican conference.
For now, it appears conservatives will give him the grace they denied McCarthy over spending.
“I’m really not too concerned with (a CR) right now,” Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), who voted to boot McCarthy as speaker, told Huddle. “I’m just excited that a few of us took a chance, took a gamble. And I think the conference and the country is going to be in a better spot because of it.”
“I think it’s helpful that a number of more stubborn members have said they’re willing to give Speaker Johnson a little more grace and a little more of the benefit of the doubt,” said McCarthy ally Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.).
Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.
