Summary
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s opening bid to avert a government shutdown appears doomed to fail. At least six GOP lawmakers announced that they will vote against Johnson”s plan. If all Democrats vote no, Republicans can only afford to lose four of their members.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala) said he was opposed to the spending plan because of the impact it would have at the Department of Defense. Rep. Matt Rosendale (Mont.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Cory Mills (Fla.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.) and Jim Banks (Ind.) have also publicly said that they will not support the CR-plus-SAVE Act.
“It’s always good to know what the follow-on plans are,” the GOP lawmaker said. The moderate Republican needled Johnson for his comments earlier in the day that “there is no fallback position”
The House Freedom Caucus had put out an official position advocating for a stopgap into 2025 with the SAVE Act attached. Five House Democrats voted in favor of the stand-alone House bill earlier this year.
Rep. Jason Smith said “I don’t shut down government” when asked about his position on the CR. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) said he knew how he was going to vote but declined to reveal that position because he had not yet informed leadership.
