Speaker Johnson Hates the Spending Bill, But They ‘Have to Get This Done’
You *literally* have the House majority. You do not have to pass this garbage.
Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox & Friends he doesn’t like the spending bill that would avert a partial government shutdown.
But Johnson said they “just have to get it done.”
The 1500+ page bill would extend the FY 2024 spending levels through March 14.
WHY? No, you do not. Johnson said that since the GOP has a razor-thin majority, it needs Democrat votes. In the Senate, yeah, since they have the majority.
But you literally have the majority in the House. You don’t need Democrat votes in the House.
I cannot with these people:
EARHARDT: We don’t have a choice. We have to fund those. We have to fund FEMA, we have to fund our farmers, right?
DOOCY: And, Mr. Speaker, it’s not just..so you’ve got a bunch of Republicans who are angry at you. They don’t like this. And just in a couple of weeks you’re going to stand once again to run for speaker of the House, and you don’t need a bunch of Democrats mad at you.
And, this is breaking news, you do not, know..you know who also does not like this? Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, just tweeted, “This bill should not pass.”
The only way you’re going to be able to pass it now, Mr. Speaker, is with Democrats. If you could, what’s your message to Elon Musk?
JOHNSON: Well, I was communicating with Elon last night, Elon and Vivek and I are on a text chain together, and I was explaining to them the background of this. And Vivek and I talked last night about almost midnight, and he said, “Look, I get it.” He said “We understand you’re in an impossible position.” Everybody knows that. Remember, guys, we still have just a razor thin margin of Republicans. So any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation.
They said it’s not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending. I said, guess what, fellas? I don’t either. We got to get this done. Because here’s the key. By doing this, we are clearing the decks and we are setting up for Trump to come in, roaring back with America first agenda. That’s what we’re going to run with gusto beginning January 3, when we start the new Congress, when Republicans, again, have control and all of our fiscal conservative friends, I’m one of them, will be able to finally do the things that we have been wanting to do for the last couple of years.
Right now, Democrats still control [inaudible] and that’s the problem. So we got to get this thing done so we don’t have the shutdown. So we get the short term funding measure and we get to march where we can put our fingerprints on the spending. That’s when the big changes start and we can’t wait to get there, right?
Um, Democrats still control the what? CC says, “depends,” my transcribing software heard “pins.” Democrats don’t control anything in the House, Johnson.
Please let me know if you guys can understand what he says. It starts at 1:31, so you don’t have to listen through the whole pathetic exchange.
SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: Elon Musk told me he doesn’t like the spending bill. I told them – I don’t either. We just have to get this done.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 18, 2024
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Comments
No, no you don’t.
In fact, it would be better to NOT get it done, shut down the government and individually vote to fund essential functions. Then vote to dissolve the remaining cruft and tumors as unessential.
Enunciate exactly why you “just have to get it done.” If there are reasons, justifications, state them. Go on record.
The new Congress will be sworn in on January 3, 2025. What is that, 2 weeks from today? Ok, maybe 15 days. Why push for this week, when the benefits of a shutdown are so strong?
The benefit of not worrying about another 5 year union contract being signed between now and then. No get out of jail free legislation being passed, No trying up potential recommendations from DOGE will be passed. No 40% legislative pay raise.
America deserves a chance to take control from the professional elected class. Shutting down the government for a couple of weeks will be a strong net positive.
“But Johnson said they “just have to get it done.”
No.
What they have to get done is their damn JOB… not the atrocity they’ve been doing for 28 years to AVOID doing their damn job.
Massie predicted this over a year ago. To the day, Dec.20th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArQ1oiyR-aY
Wish he’d move to Ohio. We could use him here.
Senate. Dems still control the senate, which any spending bill will need to pass. Still, I’d pass a cut rate, essentials only spending bill in the house and go home. Let the Chuck Schumer explain why he won’t vote to fund government. This preemptive caving is decades old and needs to stop.
Jan 3 Rs will have a majority………….of 2 maybe. Still the same problem over and over..
Trump poaching House members will come back to bite us yugely.
Those seats will all be filled by the end of February. I can’t say I know that much about the soon-to-be-vacant NY seat. But, the rest of the seats are in DEEP red districts and will be easily retained by GOP. So, while not optimal, it’s only temporary.
I understand and appreciate the sentiment and prefer optimism to cynical skepticism.
This is ringing in my ears – a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Just as long as you keep in mind that replacing an Elise Stefanik with a Susan Collins isn’t a win just because they both have R after their names.
Johnson can cut out all the pork and say to Schumer, “Take it or leave it”.
Yep. Cut State Dept funding of NGO’s, cut PBS & NPR, cut the contracts dismantling the border wall, etc etc. What a bunch of squishes.
Exactly! Pass a bare bones bill and adjourn
Same shit, different year. I’ll believe spending cuts when I see them. And not BS cutting the rate of increase but actual cuts.
Within weeks of his appointment we all knew Johnson was Uniparty. And now come the first of many betrayals.
TINO – trifecta in name only.
Johnson’s job is to get bills thorough the House of Reps, once he’s done that the Senate has to deal with them. It’s not his concern what they do, so if you hate the bill then pass one you don’t hate.
‘Have to Get This Done’
No, actually, you don’t. If it’s an actual Must Have, then it can be limited entirely to the parts of the federal gov’t that are constitutionally required. (Not permitted, but required.) That’s it. Then you force the rest of Congress to come up with a reasonable spending plan. We do NOT “have to have” gov’t running at the federal level in America. The running part should be done at state level.
And that means every single grant is stopped. Every single agency. Every single Congressional staffer goes without a paycheck. Every single gift of money to anyone anywhere – foreign or domestic – stops.
The whole idea that gov’t (at the federal level) MUST be up and running is one of the worst victories the progressives ever had in our country. And the only way to get our Republic back is to stop that attitude (among other Progressive BS).
BTW, one of the best ways to stop this insanity would be a constitutional amendment that would require individual funding bills (among other things).
A second best way would be to require all funding of essential federal services to come out of the paychecks of Congresscritters and the President in the event a budget isn’t passed. It’s one of the few things Congress is supposed to do is pass funding bills. And one of the things you expect a President to sign (conditions apply).
So, if Congress doesn’t even pass one, then when the funding stops, all funding for essential services (primarily the military paychecks, border control, Coast Guard) comes out of Congressional paychecks until they’re bankrupt. If they pass it and the President won’t sign it, then that money comes out of the President’s paycheck, too.
There should be nothing in the Bill that survives past 90-days. Johnson is horrible, and I think considerably worse than McCarthy. House & Senate Republicans haven’t been able to stop shooting themselves in the face since Gingrich retired.
My impression is that Johnson is a bad performer, but McCarthy was a bad performer AND a backstabber.
Reading through the criticisms of the CR which are populating social media now, it’s clear that this Bill is maximally insane, designed solely and entirely to hamstring Trump through the Midterms and beyond This is will have the practical impact of Russia Collusion, only it will be on steroids and codified in law. Johnson isn’t so obtuse and ignorant he doesn’t understand this. He has to understand this, and yet he says ‘we have to do this.’ It’s something well-beyond infuriating.
In the best possible interpretation, Johnson is scared out of his wits at any possibility of a “government shut down” and will do absolutely anything on Earth to avoid it. The Congressional GOP has been operating like this for so many years … terrified of any shut down. It is insane.
Frankly, I would very, very, very much prefer to have the federal government shut down as much as possible for the remainder of Traitor Joe’s term. Anything that will stop him and his junta from carrying out their final attacks on America is welcome.
SHUT IT DOWN!!!
No means No, and the voters said, “NO!!!”
Mike Johnson is merely Nancy Pelosi in a suit & tie. Total feffing waste of space.
I disagree. Nancy has a spine.
Proving yet again that the GOP (the UniParty’s right wing) has no intention of changing.
They never listened to anyone but their donors and cronies before, and won’t listen to their constituents now.
Conservatives/America Firsters will hold only 1 branch of government come Jan 20; the establishment Republicans will hold the other 2.
Included in the CR: A pay increase for members of Congress, raising the annual salary from $174,000 to $243,000.
You have the votes for a sensible bill. Your irresponsible deep state kowtowing, which commenced suddenly and suspiciously after a single briefing by the FBI and DHS, is totally unnecessary. You have the votes for a real bill with reforms. You lost a GOP House member yesterday because of this, she declared independent. You will turn over the House to Democrats if you keep this up…..or is that your intention?
They told him what would happen if he doesn’t do what they want.
Pass a bill to fund FEMA and go home. Who cares about the rest of it. It can wait until January 20th. You think any agency will run out of money? No I didn’t think so. There is 2 trillion excessive spending tucked away in these agencies. President Trump should issue a press release denouncing this CR and demand a clean FEMA bill and that’s it!!
40% raise to CEO level salary? I should throw my hat in the ring…
This spending bill is criminal. The House GOP needs to just pass a minimal bill and let the Democrat Senate “shut the government down” if that’s what they want to do. There’s only a month until Donald Trump is in office. Let it all sit for a month.
Frankly, I’d feel a lot better having things shut down for the remainder of Traitor Joe’s term. Very much so.
This Bill isn’t a clean CR, there’s lots of add one including a massive pay raise for the HoR. It should be opposed and defeated with a clean very short term CR substituted.
That said…..we.got here b/c the votes don’t exist to do it under regular order. We didn’t build up a $36 Trillion+ debt b/c the folks in Congress were opposed to spending taxpayer funds. If the public/voters really cared about it they would vote the big spenders out.
The sad reality is that the majority voting public is just as committed to receiving govt pork as Congress is in creating it. Don’t believe it? Wait till DOGE gets going and ID programs for elimination, wait till ‘entitlement’ reform is brought up and see what happens See how any SSA reform is shouted down…unless it’s to add $ for benefits.
GOP gonna GOP. Just another day that ends in “y”.
The GOP is truly the STUPID party…and the party of invertebrates.
That man is an embarrassment to my state. He needs to be replaced as Speaker.
Should be replaced. But, the GOP is really up against a wall considering how narrow their majority is. It’s very conceivable if he were to be deposed as Speaker, he would quit leaving the GOP with a 1-seat majority, or maybe even worse considering how common it is for House members to resign or die in any given year.
Trump has now publicly condemned the CR. I think there may be some small window of opportunity to smother this thing in its grave. But, given how many spinless lizards there are in the GOP House caucus, that window is REALLY, really narrow.
I remember hearing an interview with a Republican member of congress long ago (Can’t remember his name. I think he was from Texas) who was very unhappy with the party leadership. He said that whenever he and others would complain about some bad provision in a bill, they would be told, “We just have to get it through. We’ll fight the next one, promise.”
But they never kept the promise. The time to fight never came. And still hasn’t.
There is no immediate election fallout. Not the time to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Speaker Johnson: They said it’s not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending. I said, guess what, fellas? I don’t either. We got to get this done.
Tell me you’re a spineless and weak excuse for a Speaker of the House without telling me you’re a spineless and weak excuse for a Speaker of the House.