Hopefully Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) enjoyed his Christmas vacation because his return to work this week promises to be a painful slog reminiscent of the ordeal faced by his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.

On Sunday, Johnson announced he had reached a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on top-line spending numbers to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal 2024. The agreement, struck a week before a Jan. 15 deadline for a government shutdown, sets defense spending at $886 billion and nondefense spending at $773 billion.