Senate Considers House Passage of Continuing Resolution to Temporarily Keep Government Open

by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia 11/15/2023

House lawmakers on both sides of the aisle rallied behind newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson’s bill to avert a government shutdown, deferring the GOP’s fight for deep spending cuts until after the holiday season. On Capitol Hill, the heated debate reached fever pitch, underscoring the importance and pressure surrounding the legislative maneuver.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, addressing the chamber before the vote, criticized far-right MAGA Republicans, who opposed the bill. “If you don’t believe in governance, you’re okay with this. When we had the three weeks of no action on the floor because… we didn’t have a speaker, they were okay with that because they don’t believe in governance,” Pelosi said in slamming Republicans.

Far right hard-liners reportedly pushed for Johnson to include budget cuts as part of his two-tiered continuing resolution plan. GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas denounced Johnson’s bill. “It’s a 100% clean. And I 100% oppose,” Roy tweeted. “My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated. Funding Pelosi level spending & policies for 75 days — for future “promises.”

Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois emphasized the potential consequences of a government shutdown, highlighting that it would result in no pay for federal workers, including military personnel, slower TSA security checks ahead of Thanksgiving, and a lack of funding for critical programs like SNAP. “This must be averted,” Krishnamoorthi asserted.

The day’s events were as high on controversy as they were on tension, with recently ousted Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy allegedly engaging in a physical altercation with Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee in the halls of Congress. “It was just a cheap shot by a bully,” Burchett said. “And then I chased after him. And we had a few words.” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who orchestrated McCarthy’s removal, called for an investigation by the House Ethics Committee into McCarthy’s actions.

In a separate incident, Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) challenged the Teamsters president to a brawl during a Senate hearing, prompting Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) to intervene and demand Mullin to “sit down.”

Ultimately, House Democratic leadership endorsed Speaker Johnson’s two-step continuing resolution in a statement, describing it as “devoid of harmful cuts and free of extreme right-wing policy riders.” They pledged their support, urging Congress to unite in advancing supplemental national security and domestic policy funding requested by President Joe Biden.

The two-step continuing resolution extends funding for part of the government, including the Departments of Agriculture, Transportation and Veterans Affairs, through Jan. 19. It also funds the Department of Defense and other remaining parts of the government through Feb. 2.

The U.S. government faced the risk of running out of funds at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday if the House failed to pass a continuing resolution. The potential shutdown would impact publicly funded agencies, causing work stoppages and leaving employees without pay.

“I want to cut spending right now, and I would like to put policy riders on the bill,” Johnson demanded. “But when you have a three-vote majority — as we do right now — we don’t have the votes. So, what we need to do is avoid the government shutdown.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters he wanted the Senate to vote on the bill “as soon as possible.”