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Speaker of the Home Mike Johnson was by the facet of Donald Trump on Sunday as the 2, together with Senate Republican whip John Barrasso, attended the Tremendous Bowl in New Orleans.
Johnson’s attendance was removed from a shock given his closeness to the president. The Speaker beforehand attended a UFC occasion with Trump final yr.
However his look alongside the president is given particular which means this weekend as Johnson is now going through one among his hardest political battles as Speaker — a bid to craft funds laws that may fulfill all sides of the Republican Get together, from the president to the disparate teams that make up the Home and Senate Republican caucuses.
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Donald Trump waits for kick-off. He’s the primary sitting president to attend a Tremendous Bowl (AFP through Getty Photographs)
Johnson is arising in opposition to a authorities funding deadline in mid-March, whereas additionally searching for to craft a long-term funding invoice that may unify his caucus within the Home and move the chamber with out Democratic votes. It’s a tough prospect as only a three-vote margin splits the 2 events within the decrease chamber; Johnson can’t afford any defections or absences, given the unlikely prospect of Democrats voting for the GOP’s spending cuts.
The Speaker may push for a seamless decision to fund the federal government previous the March deadline, then push ahead with a plan to rely solely on Republican votes for the get together’s funds plan — or just search to push one thing by means of earlier than that March 14 funding drop-off. Neither possibility seems significantly straightforward, with Democrats stating that the GOP shouldn’t assume that the opposition get together would bail out the Home Republican caucus and provide Democratic votes to make up for Republican funds hawks who refuse to help Johnson’s plan.
In January, he mentioned that Republicans had been hoping for remaining passage of the invoice in April.
Johnson, like Kevin McCarthy earlier than him, minimize offers with Democrats to avert shutdowns all through 2024, regardless of holding management over the decrease chamber. A handful of Republicans have acknowledged their opposition to what they seen as inadequate efforts by management to chop spending, whereas others have opposed the persevering with decision course of on precept.
Nonetheless, Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries and others have taken concern with the assertion from Johnson on Friday that the Democrats had deserted negotiations fully.
“Leader Jeffries and others seem to be trying to set up some sort of government shutdown,” Johnson informed reporters within the Capitol, including:“We were negotiating in good faith and trying to get the top-line number, but so far as I know, they’ve been sort of unresponsive the last two days or so.”
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Mike Johnson seems on throughout a grilling at information convention on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC (AFP through Getty Photographs)
Jeffries and Appropriations rating member Rosa DeLauro mentioned that Democrats had despatched a brand new provide to Republicans for his or her get together’s help for a invoice to fund the federal government inside the previous few days.
Jim McGovern, the top-ranking Democrat on the Guidelines Committee, mentioned: ““First of all, [Johnson]’s full of s‑‑‑. He’s a liar. And he’s a total shill for Donald Trump and Elon Musk.”
“So he can blame anybody he wants … but we’re not walking away from the table,” the congressman mentioned. “They’re not interested in hearing from us at this particular point. Maybe they will be in March.”
This weekend Johnson mentioned that the GOP’s funds invoice, designed to be handed by means of the filibuster-proof funds reconciliation course of, was nonetheless days away from being unveiled. He cautioned that the slim margin in his chamber necessitated extra work on the laws. He additionally gave the impression to be optimistic about Republicans assembly the March 14 funding deadline, even with the added problem of cramming all the GOP’s funds reform priorities into one piece of laws.
“We had been going to do a funds committee markup subsequent week. We’d push it slightly bit additional as a result of the small print actually matter,” Johnson mentioned on Fox Information Sunday.
“Remember that I have the smallest margin in history, about a two vote margin currently,” he continued. “So I’ve acquired to ensure everybody agrees earlier than we carry the venture ahead, that remaining product, and we have just a few extra containers to verify, however we’re getting very, very shut.”
Senate GOP leaders, together with Barrasso, are concurrently urging the president to desert a one-bill plan for overhauling the federal funds, as an alternative pushing for an preliminary invoice to be handed within the coming weeks and one other one extending the Trump tax cuts to be pursued later this yr.
