US House Republican hardliners challenge Johnson over spending deal

[January 11, 2024]  By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson faced his first direct challenge from his own caucus on Wednesday, as hardline conservatives blocked a Republican bill to protest his bipartisan spending deal with top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer.

A dozen far-right Republicans, mostly members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, joined Democrats to defeat an unrelated measure allowing debate and votes on passage of Republican resolutions opposing Biden policies on electric vehicles and other topics.

Members of the House of Representatives group, who hope to impose lower spending and border restrictions, said they were voting to protest Johnson's $1.59 trillion top-line spending deal with Schumer, which has raised hopes that lawmakers can avert a partial government shutdown in just over a week.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress are trying to hammer out bipartisan spending legislation for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 after months of Republican infighting and delay. Funding for some federal agencies is set to expire on Jan. 19, while others will run out of money on Feb. 2.

"My hope is to persuade the speaker and the leadership and the entire Republican conference to not follow through with the deal," said Representative Bob Good, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus.

"The deal ... doesn't secure the border and ... doesn't cut our spending, and it's going to be passed apparently ... with predominantly Democrat votes," Good added, calling the prospect "unacceptable."

With a 220-213 House majority, Johnson can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes on measures opposed by Democrats. As Wednesday's measure failed 203-216, the speaker returned to his office while ignoring questions from reporters.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., November 29, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo

Asked if hardliners would continue to stymie legislation, prominent conservative Representative Chip Roy told reporters: "We'll see. I mean, right now, the point here is that we’re not remotely satisfied."

Some of the same hardline Republicans shuttered the House floor last June to protest a debt ceiling deal between President Joe Biden and then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy. That deal formed the basis of Johnson's spending deal with Schumer.

McCarthy was ousted from the speakership four months later, after averting a government shutdown on Oct. 1 with a bipartisan stopgap measure.

Hardliners have recently begun to talk about potentially subjecting Johnson to a similar fate. Asked about the possibility, hardline Representative Andy Biggs said: "That's hypothetical and I would rather we resolve it otherwise." Biggs was one of eight Republicans who joined Democrats to oust McCarthy last October.

Senate Republicans said on Tuesday that Congress will need to pass a short-term funding measure to keep the federal government open as lawmakers work to pass funding bills.

Johnson is widely expected to bring spending legislation to the House floor through a parliamentary process that would prevent hardliners from blocking it.

Asked if he was concerned about losing his job over the spending deal, Johnson said: "I'm not concerned about that. We're leading."

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)

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