Sep 24, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Mike Johnson’s hard-to-keep promise on Christmas budget fight

Juliegrace Brufke

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 19: U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) is followed by reporters as he walks to the House Chambers on September 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. Johnson continues to negotiate with house republicans and democrats to reach an agreement on funding legislation to avoid a — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) walks to the House floor on Sept. 19, 2024. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is seeking to assure fellow Republicans that he won't bring a sweeping omnibus spending bill to the floor in December as Congress prepares to extend current funding levels ahead of its October recess.

Why it matters: Following through on that plan will be tough: Neither chamber has passed all of its individual spending bills, making another stopgap measure or a larger spending package the most likely outcome when the next funding deadline arrives in December.

House GOP leaders are planning a vote Wednesday on a measure to keep the government funded through Dec. 20.
Republicans have struggled to pass individual spending bills, which were written on a party-line basis and have drawn wide Democratic opposition.
That dynamic is unlikely to get easier in November.

What he's saying: Johnson said he doesn't want an all-in-one spending bill — known as an omnibus — nor so-called minibuses, where funding bills are broken down into smaller packages.

"So there won't be a Christmas omnibus ...We don't want any busses. We're not going to do any busses, okay?" he told reporters Tuesday, shortly after delivering that message directly to lawmakers in a closed-door conference meeting.

The big picture: The outcome of the Nov. 5 election will determine both parties' strategies for funding the government ahead of the new Congress, which is set to convene Jan. 3.

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Mike Johnson’s hard-to-keep promise on Christmas budget fight

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