Mike Johnson’s funding mess is a bed he made

Published December 20, 2024 11:54am ET



In the span of 24 hours, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced he had reached a deal with Democrats to fund the government until March 2025, dissed the same deal in public statements meant to support it, and watched as the deal fell apart after his fellow Republicans revolted.

It was an entirely predictable result. For the entirety of the 118th Congress, Republicans have railed against top-down legislating, wherein leaders of both parties negotiate a bill behind closed doors and then expect their members to simply vote for whatever is produced. There is also a cohort of Republicans who are steadfastly opposed to the idea of any continuing resolution whatsoever, instead demanding that all government funding be appropriated through 12 individual spending bills.

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