House to vote to extend government funding with Johnson once again in need

Washington
CNN
 — 

The House is expected to vote Wednesday to pass a government funding extension with Speaker Mike Johnson once again poised to rely on a substantial number of votes from Democrats to get the bill over the finish line.

The bill will fund the government until December 20, setting up a high-stakes fight over spending right before the Christmas holiday and one that Johnson has privately told his conference he’ll try to stop from ending in yet another massive bill known as an omnibus.

Once the House passes the bill as expected, the Senate will next take it up. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday that the chamber had reached an agreement to vote on the extension after it passes the House on Wednesday, averting a shutdown.

For Johnson, the latest spending episode highlights the Louisiana Republican’s relentless struggle to balance keeping his right flank from all-out rebellion while also ensuring he can complete the basic functions of governing, a key concern for his more moderate, vulnerable members in swing districts, especially with just weeks to go until the election.

“A shutdown is bad governance, and it’s bad politics,” Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, told CNN about Johnson’s call. “I think he’s doing right.”

Making the political calculus even more complicated, Johnson has also had to navigate demands from GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has called for a government shutdown unless Republicans secure passage of a controversial bill targeting noncitizen voting, known as the SAVE Act, alongside government funding. Several Republicans have made the case to Trump and his team that a shutdown would risk their ability to keep their House majority – as well as Trump’s ability to flip the White House, according to multiple GOP lawmakers and senior aides.

Last week, Johnson tried to push forward with a plan that included a six-month spending bill and the SAVE Act, but ultimately that package met resistance from conservatives who argued they were completely opposed to any short-term spending bill at all. Several other Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee opposed it because they refused to approve new funding for the Pentagon.

“I like the plan we had last week. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the votes for it,” House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, told CNN. “I plan on not voting for the (continuing resolution). I think Mike’s doing a good job. It’s a tough position he’s in.”

Now, Johnson needs substantial Democratic support to make up for GOP defections.

House Republicans are expected to bypass GOP opposition to the spending bill by using a…