Democrats help Republican Speaker Mike Johnson keep funding the government in his first big test just four days before the deadline
- The bill now goes to the Senate where it is likely to passÂ
- Funding for four non-controversial agencies would be extended through January 19 and funding for eight others would run through February 2Â
- ‘This will allow everybody to go home for a couple of days for Thanksgiving, everybody to cool off,’ Johnson told reporters of the laddered CRÂ
The House passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded through the holidays until next year handing new Speaker Mike Johnson a big win amid Republican chaos.
The so-called ‘laddered’ continuing resolution, or CR, did not include any spending cuts or any supplemental funding for Israel or Ukraine. It will now go to the Senate where it is likely to pass before the government runs out of funding on Friday.
Funding for four non-controversial agencies and projects including military construction and veterans’ affairs will be extended through January 19 and funding for eight others would run through February 2.
More Democrats voted for the measure than Republicans: 209 to 127.
It was Johnson’s first major test as speaker, and although right-wing Republicans voted against the plan, they held off on floating the idea of ousting him from office in the same manner that eight moved to expel Kevin McCarthy last month. As a result, Johnson was forced to rely on the support of Democrats to get the bill across the finish line.
The bill’s passage came during a dramatic day on Capitol Hill. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was accused of elbowing a colleague who voted to oust him from the speakership, which he has denied.