Pop quiz: What’s the difference between the bipartisan stopgap funding bill that passed the House Tuesday under new Speaker Mike Johnson, and the September equivalent passed under former leader Kevin McCarthy? Answer: Nothing but the self-defeating Republican drama.
Mr. Johnson took a big step toward avoiding a government shutdown when the House passed a continuing resolution that extends current spending levels into early next year. The House Freedom Caucus opposed the bill for lack of spending reductions and money for the border. But the bill passed 336-95 with the help of Democrats.
Note that the GOP back-benchers aren’t threatening to depose Mr. Johnson for relying on the minority for passage — which was their excuse for ousting Mr. McCarthy and three weeks of leaderless pandemonium. So much for the claim that their goal was electing a more “committed conservative” as Speaker.
None of this is meant to criticize Mr. Johnson, who, like Mr. McCarthy, has to deal with the tyranny of legislative numbers. The government is due to shut down Saturday, and neither chamber has passed all of its appropriations bills. Mr. Johnson could have tried a Republican-only bill that required deeper cuts as the price of keeping the government open. But he had no guarantee his right flank would support even that. GOP holdouts tanked two of Mr. McCarthy’s GOP-only resolutions that contained conservative priorities.
Mr. Johnson’s bill varies little in substance from the one that cost Mr. McCarthy his job. It contains a two-step approach (extending some funding to Jan. 19 and some to Feb. 2), eliminates the Senate’s ability to jam through another year-end “omnibus,” and gives House GOP negotiators more time to leverage gains in bicameral appropriations conferences.
The decision to maintain current funding levels made the bill acceptable to Democrats and likely guarantees Senate passage. Such political compromises are the price of governance with a narrow House majority and Democratic control of the Senate and White House.
The lack of a rebellion this week from the Republican rump is welcome, and apparently deposing two speakers in a few weeks was too much even for them. But it further exposes the hollow claims the McCarthy Eight made for their October exhibitionism.
