Like his predecessor, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) found himself in hot water Wednesday after most Republicans defeated the spending bill that he agreed to over the weekend that would have avoided a government shutdown.
House Resolution 947 was defeated with 203 yeas to 216 nays. According to the Daily Caller, 13 House Republicans voted against the bill.
The bill’s failure has led to talk of ousting Johnson from office, who has only been in office for a few months.
“I’m leaving it on the table. I’m not gonna say I’m gonna go file it tomorrow night. I’m not saying I’m not gonna file it tomorrow. I think the speaker needs to know that we’re angry about it,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told Steve Deace of Blaze TV.
Roy stated his disapproval of the deal made between Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Sunday regarding the $1.59 trillion budget for the next fiscal year.
🚨Caught up with CHIP ROY in Iowa on his MOTION TO VACATE comments:
“Speaker Johnson is doing all the same stupid crap that we opposed.” pic.twitter.com/D2I8iXHS1o— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) January 9, 2024
“We’re spending more money we don’t have,” Roy said. “It’s just more of the same, and, you know, I wish Speaker Johnson [wasn’t] doing this. I’m very disappointed, and hopefully, we can try to figure out what we can do to change it in the next few days.”
The new budget will only increase our structural deficit.
This is one of the biggest losses on the spending fight we've seen in quite some time. pic.twitter.com/RynlQA7Gho
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) January 9, 2024
The spending bill situation had a lot of Republicans seeing Deja Vu, with it resembling the position that former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarty (R-CA) took when negotiating with Democrats.
Not all Republicans blamed Johnson. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said that the problem was elsewhere.
“It’s not our leader that’s the problem, it’s the leader in the Senate and the White House that’s the problem,” she told Fox News Digital.
Johnson stated that the agreement “wouldn’t satisfy everyone” in a letter to his Republican colleagues but would allow Congress to not only fund the government but also allow Republicans to fight for conservative policy additions to funding bills, catering to both parties.
In an interview with Fox News, Johnson was hopeful, even though the first deadline is Jan. 19. When asked if stating that “it’s going to survive.” He mentioned cutting $16 billion and shared that his only regret is having one of the “smallest majorities in Congress’s history.
Johnson stated that he is not worried about being vacated from his position but did admit that there are “a lot of emotions” due to the importance of the bill.
