众议院将于周二对新当选的议长迈克·约翰逊的计划进行投票竭力避免政府关门-然而，足够多的共和党强硬派现在表示，他们将反对拨款措施，他将不得不依靠民主党的投票来通过它。
约翰逊在周末的共和党会议上表示，他正在推进一项两步走的政府计划，他称之为“阶梯式CR”或持续决议，将政府资金保持在2023年的水平。
现在看来，约翰逊要想通过他的计划，似乎不得不横着看，因为六名共和党人已经公开表示，他们不会投票支持这项计划。弗吉尼亚州众议员鲍勃·古德、俄亥俄州众议员沃伦·戴维森、佐治亚州众议员马乔里·泰勒·格林、得克萨斯州众议员奇普·罗伊、纽约州众议员乔治·桑托斯和宾夕法尼亚州众议员斯科特·佩里都表示，他们不会支持约翰逊的计划。
2023年11月2日，众议院议长迈克·约翰逊在华盛顿国会大厦与记者交谈。
J.斯科特·阿普尔怀特/美联社
由于共和党占微弱多数，如果所有成员都在场，约翰逊只能失去少数共和党人的选票。民主党领导人尚未对约翰逊的政府拨款计划采取官方立场，他们在周一的一封信中表示，他们正在“仔细评估”该计划。
周一，参议院领导层似乎支持约翰逊的短期融资计划。参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默和少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔分别就约翰逊的提案发表了类似的讲话。
舒默周一在参议院表示:“就目前而言，我很高兴约翰逊议长似乎正在朝着我们的方向前进，推进一项不包括民主党人警告过的高度党派削减的CR。”。“议长的提议远非完美，但最重要的是，它避免了大幅削减，同时还在第二批法案中延长了国防资金。”
舒默警告约翰逊要坚决反对他的会议中的保守派，他们肯定会抱怨短期拨款法案不包括预算削减。
“我希望约翰逊议长认识到，如果他想的话，他将需要两院民主党人的支持...避免导致关机。他需要远离毒丸和陡峭的硬右削减发生，”舒默补充说。
麦康奈尔也在参议院发言，表示他支持该提案，并将敦促他的共和党同事投票支持该提案。
“众议院共和党人已经制定了一项负责任的措施，将保持照明，避免有害的政府拨款，并提供时间和空间来完成他们的重要工作。我将支持他们的持续决议，并鼓励我的同事们也这样做，”麦康奈尔说。
约翰逊的财政计划是他自上个月当选议长以来的第一次重大考验，前议长凯文·麦卡锡被历史性地赶下台。约翰逊正面临着与麦卡锡相似的挑战:努力通过一项干净的CR，同时在会议中小心翼翼地周旋于温和派和强硬派之间。他也发现自己像麦卡锡一样，需要民主党的投票来保持政府的开放。
约翰逊可能不会面临与麦卡锡相同的命运，因为共和党人一再表示，他们希望给约翰逊一些回旋余地，让他找到自己的立足点。
梯形CR有两个不同的截止日期来保持政府不同部门的运作:1月19日和2月2日。如果众议院通过该计划，参议院将不得不在周五晚上之前采取行动，以避免政府关门。
约翰逊在一份声明中说:“该法案将停止在圣诞节休会前推出的荒谬的假期综合开支法案的传统。”。“将CR从补充资金辩论中分离出来，将我们的会议置于最佳位置，以争取财政责任、对乌克兰援助的监督以及我们南部边境的有意义的政策变化。”
该提议遭到了他自己党内几名成员的严厉批评。
“我反对已经被提议的CR，因为它没有包含削减开支，没有边境安全，&没有政策对美国人民有利，“很好发布到X.
戴维森说，约翰逊提出的计划有“现状政策和现状资金水平。”
“令人失望是我能想到的最礼貌的方式。我会投反对票，“戴维森发布到X。"希望协商一致能产生一个更合理的法案。"
包括得克萨斯州众议员亨利·库勒尔和康涅狄格州众议员罗莎·德劳罗在内的一些民主党人已经表示，他们将对约翰逊的计划投反对票。众议院少数党领袖哈基姆·杰弗里斯(Hakeem Jeffries)尚未表示会议将如何被指示投票。
民主党领导人杰弗里斯、民主党党鞭凯瑟琳·克拉克和民主党党团主席皮特·阿吉拉尔周一写了一封信，称众议院民主党人对梯形CR持保留意见。
“虽然众议院共和党人已经放弃了具有多个到期日期的阶梯式融资方法，但我们仍然担心2024年1月和2月的持续决议的分歧，”信中说。
领导人在信中继续写道:“本周，我们将继续通过继续将人民置于政治之上，为普通美国人取得进步。”
在白宫周一的新闻发布会上，新闻秘书郭佳欣·让-皮埃尔称之为“未经测试”，但重申了总统的评论，即白宫将与民主党领导层接触，以决定下一步措施。
“我们将与众议院和参议院的民主党领导人保持联系。我们的目标，我们的首要目标是确保我们前进——我们为美国人民选择最好的前进道路。
上周，杰弗里斯对梯形CR的想法泼冷水，但明确表示必须避免政府关门。
“我们必须保持政府开放，阻止极端分子伤害美国经济，”杰弗里斯说星期五发布到X.
With GOP opposition, Speaker Mike Johnson would need Democratic votes to pass plan to avert shutdown
The House is set to vote Tuesday on a plan newly-elected Speaker Mike Johnsonhas pitched to avert a looming government shutdown-- yet enough of his Republican hard-liners have now said they'll oppose the funding measure that he'll have to rely on Democratic votes to pass it.
Johnson told his GOP conference over the weekend that he is moving forward with a two-step government plan that he has described as a "laddered CR" or continuing resolution that would keep the government funded at 2023 levels.
Now it looks as if Johnson will have to look across the aisle to pass his plan since six Republicans have publicly said they won't vote for it. Reps. Bob Good of Virginia, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Chip Roy of Texas, George Santos of New York and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania have all indicated they will not support Johnson's plan on the floor.
With a slim GOP majority, Johnson can afford to lose only a handful of Republican votes if all members are present. Democratic leaders are not taking an official position just yet on Johnson's government funding plan, saying in a letter Monday that they are "carefully evaluating" it.
On Monday, Senate leadership seemed to back Johnson's short-term funding plan. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the floor in separate but similar speeches about Johnson's proposal.
"For now, I am pleased that Speaker Johnson seems to be moving in our direction by advancing a CR that does not include the highly partisan cuts that Democrats have warned against," Schumer said Monday on the Senate floor. "The speaker's proposal is far from perfect, but the most important thing is that it refrains from making steep cuts, while also extending funding for defense in the second tranche of bills."
Schumer warned Johnson to hold firm against conservatives in his conference who will surely complain that the short-term funding bill does not include budget cuts.
"I hope Speaker Johnson recognizes that he will need support from Democrats in both chambers if he wants to ... avoid causing a shutdown. He needs to stay away from poison pills and steep hard right cuts for that to happen," Schumer added.
McConnell also spoke on the Senate floor, saying he backs the proposal and will urge his Republican colleagues to vote for it.
"House Republicans have produced a responsible measure that will keep the lights on, avoid harmful left in government funding, and provide the time and space to finish their important work. I'll support their continuing resolution and encourage my colleagues to do the same," McConnell said.
Johnson's financial plan is his first major test as speaker since he was elected last month after the historic ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Johnson is facing a similar challenge as McCarthy: working to pass a clean CR while carefully maneuvering between moderates and hard-liners in his conference. He also finds himself, like McCarthy, needing Democratic votes to help keep the government open.
It's possible Johnson won't face the same fate as McCarthy as Republicans have repeatedly said they hope to give Johnson some leeway to find his footing.
The laddered CR has two different deadlines to keep different parts of the government functioning: Jan. 19 and Feb. 2. If the House passes the plan, the Senate would then have to act by Friday night to avert a shutdown.
"The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess," Johnson said in a statement. "Separating out the CR from the supplemental funding debates places our conference in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our Southern border."
The proposal has been panned by several from his own party.
"I am opposed to the CR that has been proposed, because it contains no spending reductions, no border security,& no policy wins for the American people," Goodposted to X.
Davidson said the plan Johnson proposed has "status quo policies, and status quo funding levels."
"Disappointing is as polite as I can muster. I will be voting NO," Davidsonposted to X. "Hopefully, the consensus will result in a more reasonable bill."
Several Democrats -- including Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut -- have indicated they will vote no on Johnson's plan. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has not yet said how the conference is being instructed to vote.
A letter from Democratic leaders, Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar on Monday said House Democrats have reservations about the laddered CR.
"While House Republicans have abandoned a laddered funding approach with multiple expiration dates, we remain concerned with the bifurcation of the continuing resolution in January and February 2024," the letter states.
"We will proceed this week through the lens of making progress for everyday Americans by continuing to put people over politics," the leaders continued in the letter.
During the White House press briefing Monday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called it "untested" but reiterated the president's comments that the White House would be in touch with Democratic leadership to decide on next steps.
"We're going to be in touch with a Democratic leadership in both the House and the Senate. And our goal, our number one goal is to make sure that we move -- we take the best path forward for the American people," she said.
Last week, Jeffries threw cold water on the idea of laddered CR, but has made it clear the government shutdown must be averted.
"We must keep the government open and stop the extremists from hurting America's economy," Jeffriesposted to X on Friday.
