GOP rage erupts as Johnson's spending plan collapses
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House Speaker Mike Johnson at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 19, 2024. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.
House Republican anger flew in all directions on Thursday as House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) bill to fund the government failed on the House floor.
Why it matters: The federal government is set to shut down in just one day if a spending bill isn't passed, ratcheting up the tension on Capitol Hill.
- "We were really angry today," said one House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share details of sensitive internal dynamics.
State of play: Johnson's bill failed with 174 House members voting for it and 235 voting against, with 38 Republicans joining all but three Democrats in opposition.
- The bill was a trimmed-down version of the initial 1,550-page bill Johnson unveiled earlier this week after negotiations with Democratic leadership.
- Right-wing lawmakers and Trump lieutenants like Elon Musk raged against the original bill, forcing Johnson to go back to the drawing board.
- But the revised measure failed to mollify many of the GOP's debt and deficit hawks, and Johnson's failure to stick to the original agreement incensed Democrats.
Driving the news: In an apparent sign of the tensions, Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) broke his gavel while presiding over a raucous debate on the spending measure.
- Molinaro confirmed after the vote that "the hammer removed from the" handle in a "clean" break.
- The mild-mannered New York Republican described the post-vote mood as "quizzical," saying of the Republicans who voted against the bill: "We were not asked to go terribly far."
What we're hearing: "Elon [Musk] lied about the bill, the speaker was negotiating in good faith to get the best deal he can," said the House Republican who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
- The GOP lawmaker vented that Trump's deputies "threw [Johnson] under the bus" by coming out publicly in opposition to the original bill.
- "Why didn't they call him? Just call him and work through it," the lawmaker said.
Yes, but: Plenty of anger was also directed by House Republicans on Trump's behalf.
- Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), a former Trump interior secretary, said he was "confused" by the 38 Republican votes against the bill and said he "certainly" thinks Trump may call for some to face primary challenges.
- Of Trump's call to primary Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a vocal foe of the bill, Zinke said: "When the president of the United States says 'primary him,' I think there would probably be a lot of people who would and will."
