Johnson's colleagues baffled by his shutdown strategy
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House Speaker Mike Johnson entering the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 17, 2024. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.
House members in both parties are perplexed about House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) decision to revive a short-term government funding bill that he pulled last week.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), asked if he has any sense of why Johnson is reviving the bill, told Axios, "I have no idea."
Why it matters: Even some Republicans are questioning Johnson's strategic decision-making, with some warning that his decision to hold a vote on the measure could actually hurt him in the long run.
- "I don't know how he thinks it's going to pass ... where are the votes coming from?" said Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas).
- Another House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity, called Johnson's plan "puzzling" and predicted that it will frustrate some GOP lawmakers.
- Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters: "There's an old saying in Arkansas that you don't learn nothing the second time you get kicked in the head by a mule."
Driving the news: The House is set to vote Wednesday on a six-month government funding bill that includes the SAVE Act – legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
- Johnson pulled a vote on the same bill last week in the face of mounting Republican opposition.
- Several right-wing Republicans who opposed the measure – including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) — told Axios on Tuesday that they remain opposed.
- Johnson said Tuesday that "Congress has an immediate obligation to … fund the federal government and ensure the security of our elections," saying he is putting up the bill again because "we owe this to our constituents."
Zoom in: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told reporters that he had flipped some GOP "no" votes.
- But Nehls told Axios the bill's right-wing opponents are "dug in."
What they're saying: Some Republicans worry that continuing to try to pass a bill that is doomed in the Senate anyway may backfire on House Republicans.
- The Republican who spoke anonymously said that members who vote for the bill Tuesday may not support the "clean," three-month funding bill that lawmakers widely expect the House will ultimately vote on to avert a government shutdown.
- "You may lose more Republicans at the end when you really need them ... because you know this is going to fail," they said.
- Said Womack: "If you're fighting a losing battle, then I think you do have to go to a Plan B, and I really don't know what that is."
The other side: House Democratic leadership spent part of their Tuesday meeting trying to understand Johnson's strategy, according to one senior House Democrat.
- "The speculation [is] that it has to fail before he can do anything else," the lawmaker said.
- Another topic that was discussed: The possibility of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) getting started on a funding measure rather than waiting for the House, a strategy that several top House Democrats told Axios they would support.
- "If he has a vehicle and the votes, I'd encourage him to move ahead," said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), a leadership member.
