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Johnson Set to Jet to UK as Shutdown Looms and Majority Shrinks
As Mike Johnson’s razor-thin majority shrunk even further this week, the Speaker of the House is announcing a trip to London to address the British Parliament — just days before the U.S. federal government is set to shut down unless spending bills are passed by the House and Senate and signed into law.
Currently, nine of the 12 annual appropriations bills still need to be enacted, unless they are combined into larger legislation packages, or a continuing resolution is passed.
“If they fail,” The Washington Post noted, it will “spark another government shutdown just two and a half months after the last one, the longest funding lapse in U.S. history.”
Speaker Johnson may have a difficult task ahead.
On Monday, Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation and retirement took effect. On Tuesday, a California Republican, U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, unexpectedly died at age 65, and another GOP congressman, Jim Baird, was hospitalized after an auto accident. He is expected to recover but his return date has not been announced.
Johnson — at least temporarily — may have to pass legislation with a 218–213 majority. With Baird sidelined, the working margin could be effectively 217–213, meaning he can afford to lose at most one vote on a party-line measure. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has a history of voting against the Trump agenda, and already there are other signs of trouble.
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On a procedural vote for a Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill on Wednesday, Republicans were already scrambling.
“With absences and the extremely tight margin, the rule [vote] is going to be close again today. Dems are not expected to help Johnson,” reported Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman.
Punchbowl’s Ally Mutnick reported that U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) “just said he is leaning against voting for the rule.”
“There’s plenty of us that are upset about what’s in it,” Burchett said.
Undeterred, Speaker Johnson on Wednesday announced his trip to England.
“Speaker Johnson will travel to London to address the United Kingdom Parliament on Tuesday, January 20 in honor of America’s Semiquincentennial celebration,” a Johnson press release reads. “Speaker Johnson will be the first U.S. Speaker of the House to address Parliament.”
“As our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of American Independence, I am honored and humbled by Speaker Hoyle’s invitation to address Parliament,” Speaker Johnson said.
READ MORE: GOP Pushes Vote on Showerheads as Millions Struggle With Rising Cost of Living
Image via Reuters
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