Spending Deal Debacle Threatens Johnson’s Tenuous Hold on His Job

The New York Times ^ | Dec. 19, 2024, 4:20 p.m. ET | Carl Hulse

[E. Pluribus Unum]

A Republican backlash to the speaker’s plan to temporarily fund the government has sparked new talk of ousting him, and highlighted the challenges he will face if he manages to keep his job.

Speaker Mike Johnson spent months doing everything he could to hang on to his job come January, most notably a concerted charm offensive to keep President-elect Donald J. Trump placated and in his corner. It took just a few hours on Wednesday for it to all go bad.

The Louisiana Republican this week got a taste of what life could be like in the second Trump era beginning next month as he was mercilessly undercut on his complex year-end legislation by Mr. Trump and the president-elect’s exceedingly influential ally Elon Musk — that is, if Mr. Johnson is the speaker at all.

“We’ll see,” Mr. Trump told NBC News on Thursday when asked about his confidence in Mr. Johnson.

The speaker’s fate was thrust into question after House Republicans exploded in anger over the fully ornamented legislative Christmas tree he rolled out to fund the government into March, a 1,500-plus-page grab bag of year-end priorities and policy changes.

House Republicans, who have spent the weeks since the election talking about how they are going to remake the government in concert with Mr. Musk and cut all sorts of agencies and spending programs, were suddenly confronted with a bipartisan big-ticket measure that looked a lot like business as usual.

Mr. Trump demanded that Mr. Johnson jettison the deal he had cut with Democrats to keep the government open and, for good measure, raise the federal debt ceiling before Mr. Trump takes office. The speaker spent Thursday contorting himself to try to fulfill those demands, and by late afternoon had hatched a plan to do so, though it was unclear whether he would be able...

[Brian Griffin]

Any one or just a few of about 200 Republicans in the House could have had prepared one or more bills that would have provided the necessary and proper funding.

The election was over 45 days ago.

There was plenty of time.

[drypowder]

It’s simple, this country needs elected officials who work for the people and not for their wealthy overlords and themselves. Criminals them all!

[Sirius Lee]

Oh no! That’s what I really care about. Johnson.

[Brian Griffin]

“only approximately 10 pages (15 to 25) are the funding mechanism; the rest is a regulatory construct, an attempt to circumvent the Trump administration, and position the federal government to defend against structural changes President Trump is intending to initiate.

“Within THE BILL, in an effort to force Republicans to support it, there is a section approximately 500 pages, that spends and directs $100 billion for disaster relief in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina following the devasting late season hurricanes. The disaster relief portion should be a stand-alone bill but is included in the massive omnibus spending package because it creates votes to support.”

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/12/19/the-insufferable-1547-page-continuing-resolution-bill-was-a-massive-omnibus-of-regulatory-effort-before-trump-takes-office/comment-page-3/

NOTE: I have not verified this as my PC will choke on 1500 pages.

[cuz1961]

mac the knife lyrics

Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
And he keeps it, ah, out of sight
You know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, oh, wears old MacHeath, babe
So there's never, never a trace of red
Now on the sidewalk, huh, huh, whoo sunny morning, un huh
Lies a body just oozin’ life, eek
And someone's sneakin’ ‘round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?
There's a tugboat, huh, huh, down by the river don’tcha know
Where a cement bag's just a-drooppin’ on down
Oh, that cement is just, it's there for the weight, dear
Five’ll get ya ten, old Macky’s back in town
Now did ya hear ‘bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe
After drawin’ out all his hard-earned cash
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy's done somethin’ rash?
Now Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah, Sukey Tawdry
Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town
I said Jenny Diver, whoa, Sukey Tawdry
Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town
Look out, old Macky’s back

\/

yup, metaphorically fits

Mike the Shiv.

[Wuli]

Let me just note that Trump has said he IN FAVOR of raising the debt ceiling limit.

Full disclosure: I am not.

[P-Marlowe]

They do this every time."

And even Freepers fall for it.

Shut it down till 1/21/25.

[DPMD]

Screw the country by forcing a shutdown? Screw the country? That’s enough jesting Shirley.

[Alberta's Child]

There isn’t anyone here on God’s green earth who could manage a GOP House caucus with such a narrow majority. With such a tiny margin in the House, any loose cannon with a moonbat idea and a few dedicated followers can basically be a road block on any bill.

[1Old Pro]

The “deal” must have been HORRIBLE as the Dems and Karine keep begging Johnson to pass it.

[OKSooner]

It had all the Fauci stuff in it.

Vaxes, biolabs, passports, etc.

[1Old Pro]

It had all the Fauci stuff in it. Vaxes, biolabs, passports, etc.

And disallowed any investigation into the J6 committee etc, it was horrible.

[Georgia Girl 2]

1556 pages isn’t extending current funding. Its a whole new appropriations bill. Stop calling it a continuing resolution.

[bgill]

Every day there is something that brings him close to losing his job, yet he’s still there pushing the left’s bs.

[lurk]

Who knows what tools the collectivists have to turn men into their servants? And faced with the same, would you and I stand firm?