What happened
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) abruptly called off a vote on a six-month stopgap spending package yesterday amid Republican opposition. The lack of votes from his own caucus and most Democrats raised the odds of a partial government shutdown at the end of the month.
Who said what
"We're in the consensus-building business here in Congress," Johnson said to reporters. "I believe we'll get there." Some House Republicans "almost religiously refuse to vote for continuing resolutions of any kind," The Washington Post said, while others were aligned with Democrats and Senate Republicans in seeking a shorter time frame for the spending package. Democrats also opposed Johnson's inclusion of an unrelated measure requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, dooming the bill in the Senate, while Donald Trump urged Republicans to shut down the government unless the measure is included. Democrats point out it's already illegal for noncitizens to vote, The Associated Press said, but "Republicans believe there is value" in making "Democrats in competitive swing districts vote" on the provision.
Sticking with Johnson's current spending plan "would risk an embarrassing defeat just before November, with little upside," Politico said. But if the speaker had "returned from Congress' summer break and immediately moved to cut a deal with Democrats, he would have sparked even fiercer internal backlash" and doomed his chances of keeping the gavel if Republicans keep the House.
What next?
With "an election in just a few weeks," lawmakers are eager to "avoid flirting with a partial government shutdown" and "anxious to get home and campaign," the AP said, suggesting "the two sides will work out a spending deal" before Oct. 1. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters that "shutting down the government is always a bad idea, no matter what time of the year it is."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Film reviews: 'Wicked: For Good' and 'Rental Family'Feature Glinda the Good is forced to choose sides and an actor takes work filling holes in strangers' lives
-
‘Like a gas chamber’: the air pollution throttling DelhiUnder The Radar Indian capital has tried cloud seeding to address the crisis, which has seen schools closed and outdoor events suspended
-
Political cartoons for November 23Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include a Thanksgiving horn of plenty, the naughty list, and more
-
US government shutdown: why the Democrats ‘caved’In the Spotlight The recent stalemate in Congress could soon be ‘overshadowed by more enduring public perceptions’
-
Comey grand jury never saw final indictmentSpeed Read This ‘drove home just how slapdash’ the case is, said The New York Times
-
Summers out at Harvard, OpenAI amid Epstein furorSpeed Read Summers was part of a group being investigated by Harvard for Epstein ties
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
-
Is Trump a lame duck president?Talking Points Republicans are considering a post-Trump future
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdownSpeed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
Obamacare: Why premiums are rocketingFeature The rise is largely due to the Dec. 31 expiration of pandemic-era ‘enhanced’ premium subsidies, which are at the heart of the government shutdown
-
Senate takes first step to end record shutdownSpeed Read Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government
