Louisiana Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson is really starting to tick off a lot of conservatives due to the $1.66 trillion federal spending deal he reached with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York last weekend. In fact, folks are so aggravated with the man that they shut down activities on the House floor Thursday until Johnson had a meeting with them about renegotiating the deal. The dude just got the job and he’s already screwing it up? Really?
The folks at Newsmax are reporting:
But with federal budget deadlines Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 fast approaching to avoid a partial government shutdown, Johnson also is feeling the heat from moderate Republicans and Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., about sticking to the deal.
“If any government shutdown occurs, it will be the sole result of Republicans once again deciding that if they are unable to jam their extreme right-wing policies down the throats of the American people, they’re going to shut down the government, hurt the American people, and crash the economy,” Jeffries went on to comment during a Thursday press briefing.
“It’s not going to be the current deal,” Rep. Ralph Norman, a Republican from South Carolina, stated after he left the meeting.
Conservative firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, said, “There’s going to be a new deal drawn up, and that’s what we’re in the process of doing.”
However, that’s not exactly the same thing Johnson said after the meeting ended, telling the media he did not make any commitments and that discussions are currently ongoing.
“We’re having thoughtful conversations about funding options and priorities,” Johnson remarked, according to a report from Politico. “While those conversations are going on, I’ve made no commitments. So if you hear otherwise, it’s just simply not true.”
Johnson is facing a similar revolt that led to the ouster of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Tuesday there needs to be new leadership in the House “because we don’t have any.” Greene said the option of a motion to vacate the speakership, the maneuver used to oust McCarthy, is “on the table” if deals such as the one Johnson hatched are going to be made, according to Axios.
But then Johnson faces scrutiny from Republicans who are responsible for negotiating the government funding package, who have warned him against trying to change the agreement.
“I don’t know how you cut a deal and then go back to change the deal,” Republican Rep. Tom Cole from Oklahoma, a senior appropriator, went on to say, according to Politico’s article on the matter. “The speaker already cut it.”
Cole then stated that he didn’t believe there was any other number that could bring the GOP together in agreement.
Plus, any changes would have to be approved by Jeffries, Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., all of whom signed off on the original deal.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said it would be “extremely hard” to negotiate a new agreement.
“I certainly hope that’s not true because it increases the chances of a government shutdown,” she remarked.
We need leadership who will stand down and only make very small concessions and compromises so that, step-by-step, we can reduce spending and pay down some of our debt. This would really make a huge difference in our country’s overall economic health. Paying down some of what is owed at the national level, while reducing spending, will improve the value of the dollar by making our country more economically stable.
If Johnson wants to keep his new job, he better do a heck of a lot better with a new deal than he did with the first one. Just ask McCarthy what happens to establishment guys.
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