Johnson hands out pinkie promises before House vote on shutdown
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Speaker Mike Johnson at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 17. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Speaker Mike Johnson was seen making House floor pinkie promises Friday ahead of the vote on a short-term spending stopgap, which passed 217-212.
Why it matters: Johnson has little wiggle room and tight margins, but he's repeatedly managed to shepherd must-pass bills across the finish line.
- Only two Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) voted against the bill.
- Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the lone Democratic supporter.
The intrigue: Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), all who often oppose short-term funding bills, were among those who got the gesture.
- Burchett, who was on the fence about voting for the CR earlier this week, told Axios that Johnson's pinkie promise was a pledge to boost funding for members' security when the House returns from recess.
- "Some of the more high-profile folks really do need protection," Burchett told Axios on Friday. "I mean, we have one member now who's had over 50 death threats. We've got one member [who] has a bounty out on her head."
- Every member who got a pinkie promise voted yes moments later.
The backdrop: The House-passed CR includes $30 million in additional funding for members' security, but several lawmakers feel it's not enough.
- That's in addition to the $58 million bump the White House has requested for executive and judicial branch security following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
- Johnson told reporters Friday that he's weighing a supplemental security bill in October, but it's not clear how much additional funding will be needed.
What's next: The short-term government funding bill now heads to the Senate, where a partisan fight is looming.
- Johnson told reporters after the CR passed that Senate Democrats are "not being reasonable at all."
- "If [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) negotiation is that he wants to add $1.1 trillion in spending, the answer is, heck no," Johnson added. "We're not doing this. And we're not going to pay for health care for illegal aliens. That's against the law."
