House Republicans’ proposed stopgap funding measure to avoid a government shutdown supports $3.3 billion to avoid delays on the Columbia-class submarine program but does include aid for Ukraine or Israel from the Biden administration’s recent supplemental spending request.
New Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rolled out his two-step, or “laddered,” continuing resolution (CR) proposal on Saturday, which will likely require some support from Democrats to pass the House after several hardline conservatives have said they’ll oppose the measure for its lack of spending cuts.
“This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories. The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess. Separating out the CR from the supplemental funding debates places our conference in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our Southern border,” Johnson said in a statement.
With Congress staring down a Nov. 17 government shutdown deadline, Johnson’s CR proposal would temporarily fund a handful of agencies and programs, such as those covered by Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, Energy-Water and Transportation-HUD spending bills, until Jan. 19 and all remaining agencies and programs, to include defense, until Feb. 2.
“I am bewildered by how Republicans’ recklessness promises chaos and a series of government shutdowns at the beginning of next year. They wasted the entire first extension finding a new Speaker and attempting—often failing—to pass partisan bills rather than working on full-year bills that could become law,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement, adding the proposal would “double the number of shutdown showdowns.”
The bill is considered a “clean” CR because it does not include spending cuts or policy riders, which may gain support from some Democrats while members of the House Freedom Caucus have already cited their opposition to the measure.
“I am opposed to the CR that has been proposed, because it contains no spending reductions, no border security, & no policy wins for the American people. I am committed to working with Speaker Johnson & my House colleagues to chart a better path forward for our country,” Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), a member of the Freedom Caucus, said in a statement on Monday.
Johnson’s CR proposal also does not have funding for any areas included in the $106 billion supplemental spending request, such as aid for Ukraine or Israel, support for Indo-Pacific partners or border security provisions (Defense Daily, Oct. 20).
The House earlier this month voted largely along party lines to pass a Republican-proposed $14.3 billion bill with aid for Israel, which follows Hamas’ incursion on Oct. 7 and as the country pursues a ground invasion of Gaza, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said the upper chamber won’t consider the legislation for excluding Ukraine aid and offsetting costs with Internal Revenue Service budget cuts (Defense Daily, Nov. 3).
The $3.3 billion for the Columbia-class submarine program would extend an anomaly for that program after the CR currently in place also included a provision allowing the Navy to start construction on the next ballistic missile submarine (Defense Daily, Oct. 3).
The House is likely to begin considering the “laddered” CR as soon as Tuesday, while Senate leadership may still put forth its own proposal that takes a more traditional approach with a single funding deadline.