WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects to win bipartisan support Tuesday for his continuing “ladder” resolution to fund the government, possibly giving the Senate enough time to pass the bill. after the House and avoid a government shutdown that begins late Friday night. .
“In about an hour, I’ll go in with all the House Republicans, and [Minority Leader Rep.] Hakeem Jeffries will meet with all the Democrats, and we’ll find out the final numbers,” Johnson told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Johnson said he did not yet know how much support he would receive from within his own party. Early Tuesday morning, the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus, about 45 Republicans, issued a statement against CR supported by Johnson.
The ladder plan funds some federal agencies until mid-January and others until early February. But there are none of the steep spending cuts that groups like the Freedom Caucus have called for.
To pass the CR under a procedural process called suspension of the rules, Johnson needs two-thirds of the House, and possibly more than 100 Democrats, to vote for it. Several House Democrats who previously opposed the measure said Monday they were open to supporting it.
A vote on the continuing resolution is expected at 4:30 PM ET on Tuesday.
In the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also telegraphed support for the plan.
“For now, I am pleased that Speaker Johnson appears to be moving in our direction by advancing a CR that does not include the highly partisan cuts that Democrats have warned against, Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday.
President Joe Biden, likewise, indicated that he was open to the new approach, which Johnson says is intended to give the House time to work through appropriations.
“I’m not going to judge what I would wear and what I would name. We’ll see what they come up with,” Biden told reporters Monday.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the name of Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries wrong.
