Speaker Johnson navigates Trump and a narrow majority in government funding fight
CNN
Speaker Mike Johnson is once again facing a major challenge as he navigates a government funding fight while under pressure from an extremely narrow majority in the House and former President Donald Trump.
Speaker Mike Johnson is once again facing a major challenge as he navigates a government funding fight while under pressure from an extremely narrow majority in the House and former President Donald Trump. Congress is up against a shutdown deadline at the end of the month, but so far there is no clear consensus on a path forward. Adding to the urgency is the fact that vulnerable lawmakers hope to hit the campaign trail for the final stretch ahead of the November elections as soon as possible, and the threat that a shutdown could lead to fallout at the ballot box. The course the speaker charts could also factor into whether he can hold onto his leadership post after the election. Trump has also waded into the funding fight, a dynamic that could further complicate the effort to avert a shutdown. The GOP presidential nominee has said that if Republicans don’t receive “absolute assurances” on election security, they should not pass a funding extension. The move comes as Trump continues to sow doubts over election integrity in the run-up to the 2024 elections. If Trump digs in on his demand, that could make it even harder for Congress to ultimately pass a “clean” funding extension, which is widely viewed on Capitol Hill as the only viable way to avert a shutdown. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has been pushing a six-month funding plan that includes the SAVE Act, a controversial GOP-led bill that would require documentary proof of US citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. But the plan is viewed as a non-starter in the Senate and faces opposition within the House GOP conference as well. The speaker has emphasized agreement with Trump, but he has limited options and little margin of error with such a narrow majority in the House and with Democrats in control of the Senate.
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