House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has unveiled the Republican plan to keep the government funded while Congress continues its efforts to pass the 12 appropriations bills that comprise federal budget for next year. The plan, which some have dubbed a “laddered” continuing resolution (CR), is a bit unusual.
Instead of a uniform extension of government funding for all federal agencies, the legislation will provide staggered funding for departments and agencies. Some parts of the government – including veterans programs, transportation, housing, agriculture and energy – will be funded through January 19th, 2024. Agencies and departments dealing with national security and defense, such as the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, will receive funding through February 2nd, 2024. The purpose of extended funding for some parts of the government longer than others is to preserve a sense of urgency and maintain pressure on the Senate to take up the House passed appropriations bills.
In the past when the House adopted clean CRs that extended government funding until Christmas, the Senate has delayed taking up individual appropriations bills and instead took up – at the last minute – a massive omnibus bill cobbled together by Senate appropriators. The deadline created by the CR allowed the Senate to leverage the funding crisis and jam the House, forcing the lower legislative body to adopt the massive funding bill without knowing what exactly was in it. The laddered CR, in theory, should prevent the Senate from being able to jam the House with an omnibus and instead force the upper legislative body to continue negotiations with the House over the individual appropriations bills.
If Johnson can leverage the laddered CR and actually force the Senate to pass federal funding through the normal legislative process – via single subject appropriations legislation – it would be a monumental victory for conservatives. The last time Congress passed all 12 appropriations bills under any semblance of regular order was over 25 years ago. Even then, the 1997 budget required 6 of the 12 appropriations bills to be considered together as a ‘minibus’.
“This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories,” Johnson said in a statement. “The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess.”
Johnson added: “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.”
Not all House Republicans are on board with the laddered CR. “It’s a 100% clean. And I 100% oppose,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) posted on X, formerly Twitter. In another post Roy said, “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.'”
White House press secretary Kaine Jean-Pierre also panned the laddered CR, calling it “a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns — full stop.”
Despite grumbling from some in the Senate, the White House, House Democrats, and Rep. Chip Roy, House Republicans overall appear open to Johnson’s laddered CR. The full House of Representatives could take up the funding measure as soon as Tuesday. Meanwhile, late Monday, Johnson’s government received the backing of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) – signaling that moderate Republicans in the Senate may dropping their support for Democrat efforts to rush an omnibus spending package.
Funding for the federal government runs out on Friday.
