对众议院议长·迈克·约翰逊的打击是，一群强硬的共和党人在周三的程序性投票中失败了，他们反对他与民主党人谈判的一项临时拨款协议，以防止一场政府关门.
13名共和党人加入民主党人，有效地使众议院停止了投票，当天剩余时间的投票被取消。
约翰逊离开会议厅时没有回答任何问题，但后来在接受福克斯新闻频道主持人玛莎·麦卡勒姆的采访时，他似乎对这个挫折不屑一顾。
“它将幸存下来，”约翰逊谈到他与参议院和白宫达成的协议时说，该协议将把2024财年的最高支出定为1.59万亿美元。
但周三的场景对众议院共和党多数派来说似曾相识，他们一再努力在支出问题上达成一致。这种内部冲突是20世纪90年代凯文·麦卡锡的历史性搬迁从议长职位上。
投票反对该规则的共和党议员是众议员安迪·比格斯、伊莱·克兰、埃里克·伯利森、马乔里·泰勒·格林、保罗·戈萨、马特·罗森戴尔、安娜·鲍莉娜·卢娜、拉尔夫·诺曼、奇普·罗伊、鲍勃·古德、斯科特·佩里、蒂姆·摩尔和安迪·奥格尔斯。
当天早些时候，众议院共和党会议闭门讨论为政府提供资金的途径。几位议员在离开会议时对最高支出协议提出了尖锐的批评。
“除非我们关闭边境，否则我不会投票给任何人，”众议员诺曼说。“我不会资助一个将国家置于危险境地的政府。那正在伤害我们。要么关闭边境，要么承担后果。”
“我不喜欢它，”田纳西州共和党众议员蒂姆·伯切特说。“领导层达成协议，并不一定代表成员。”
俄亥俄州众议员沃伦·戴维森(Warren Davidson)表示，议长约翰逊“本不应该被聘用”，得克萨斯州的罗伊(Roy)已经讨论了另一项动议的可能性，以腾出议长职位。
然而，其他人说他们还不准备放弃约翰逊。诺曼说，会议必须给约翰逊“支持”，古德说，他不相信“一个当了两个半月议长的人应该与一个为共和党领导了十年或更长时间的人受到同样的评判，”指的是麦卡锡。
约翰逊在接受福克斯新闻频道采访时，被问及他是否认为会有人试图将他赶下台。
“现在这里有很多情绪，因为有很多重要的情绪问题摆在桌面上，”他回应道。“但我们必须做的是成为房间里的成年人并进行管理...我不认为我有被解雇的危险。这不是我走来走去想的事情。我所想的是，这个政府正努力让人民做得更好。”
持续的决心呢?
与此同时，在参议院，共和党最高领导人米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)表示，国会需要在1月19日之前通过另一项短期拨款法案(或持续决议)，以保持政府开放，并在目前的水平上运作，直到立法达成一致。
麦康奈尔周二在每周新闻发布会上告诉记者，“显然，我们也必须通过一项(持续的决议)”。麦康奈尔表示，将由约翰逊和参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默决定该决议将持续多长时间。
参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔在2024年1月9日在DC华盛顿州美国国会大厦举行的参议院共和党每周政策午餐会后的新闻发布会上发表讲话。
塞缪尔·科勒姆/盖蒂图片社
但据几名成员说，在周三的众议院共和党会议上，没有提出在众议院提出一项持续决议的想法。
白宫似乎也没有对短期解决方案表现出热情。
新闻秘书卡琳·让·皮埃尔告诉ABC新闻的白宫记者卡伦·特拉弗斯:“这种拖延不是国会应该采取的行动方式。”。
“我们对此非常清楚，”让-皮埃尔继续说道。“他们有工作要做。保持政府开放是他们能做的基本事情之一。众议院共和党人一拖再拖对美国人没有帮助。它没有。”
如果在下周五之前没有达成协议，政府将部分关闭，影响农业、能源、住房和交通项目。其余机构将于2月2日面临关闭。
In blow to Johnson's leadership, GOP hard-liners revolt over government funding deal
In a blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson, a group of hard-line Republicans tanked a procedural vote on Wednesday in a revolt of a tentative funding deal he negotiated with Democrats to prevent agovernment shutdown.
Thirteen Republicans joined Democrats to effectively bring the House floor to a stop, with votes canceled for the rest of the day.
Johnson ignored questions as he left the chamber but later seemed to shrug off the setback during an interview with Fox News host Martha MacCallum.
"It's going to survive," Johnson said of the deal he worked out with the Senate and White House, which would set top-line spending for fiscal year 2024 at $1.59 trillion.
But Wednesday’s scene was deja vu for a House Republican majority that’s repeatedly struggled to coalesce on spending issues. Such internal strife was a key driver of thehistoric removal of Kevin McCarthyfrom the speakership.
The GOP lawmakers who voted against the rule were Reps. Andy Biggs, Eli Crane, Eric Burlison, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Matt Rosendale, Anna Paulina Luna, Ralph Norman, Chip Roy, Bob Good, Scott Perry, Tim Moore and Andy Ogles.
Earlier in the day, the House Republican conference huddled behind closed doors to discuss a path forward on funding the government. Several lawmakers voiced sharp criticism of the top-line spending deal as they exited the meeting.
“I am not voting for anything unless we shut the border dow," Rep. Norman said. "I am not funding a government that’s putting this country at risk. That’s harming us. Either shut the border down or take the consequences."
“I don’t like it,” said Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett. “Leadership cuts a deal, and it doesn’t necessarily represent the members.”
Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson said Speaker Johnson “should have never been hired" and Texas' Roy has discussed the possibility of another motion to vacate the speaker.
Others, though, say they aren't ready to abandon Johnson yet. Norman said the conference has to give Johnson "back up" and Good said he didn't believe "someone whose been a speaker for two and half months should be judged the same way as someone who had been in leadership for the Republican Party for a decade or more,” referring to McCarthy.
Johnson, in his interview with Fox News, was asked if he thinks there will be any effort to oust him.
"There's a lot of emotion here right now because there's a lot of important emotional issues on the table," he responded. "But what we have to do is be the adults in the room and govern ... I don't think I'm in any jeopardy of being vacated. It's not something I walk around and think about. What I'm thinking about this government's trying to do well by the people."
What about a continuing resolution?
Meanwhile, in the Senate, top Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said Congress will need to pass another short-term funding bill (or continuing resolution) before Jan. 19 in order to keep the government open and operating at current levels until legislation is agreed upon.
"Obviously we're gonna have to pass a [continuing resolution] as well," McConnell told reporters Tuesday during his weekly press conference. McConnell said it would be up to Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to determine how long the resolution would last.
But the idea of putting a continuing resolution on the House floor did not come up during the House Republican Conference meeting on Wednesday, according to several members.
The White House also didn't appear enthusiastic about a short-term fix.
“This kicking the can down the road is not the way that Congress should be operating,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers.
"We've been very clear about that," Jean-Pierre continued. "They have a job to do. Keeping the government open is one of the basic things that they can do. House Republicans kicking this down the road does not help Americans. it doesn't."
If an agreement isn't struck before next Friday, a partial government shutdown will occur, impacting agriculture, energy, housing, and transportation programs. The remaining agencies will face a shutdown on Feb. 2.
