Government shutdown deadline poses test for new US House Speaker

As Congress races to avert a partial government shutdown in less than two weeks, it also faces a question: Are lawmakers, and especially a small but powerful group of hard-line Republicans, capable of compromise?

Republicans said they would spend the next week, with a slim 221-212 majority in the House, trying to pass full-year spending bills that are unlikely to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate, Reuters reported.

“We shouldn’t try to block each other on this issue,” said Republican Rep. Tom Cole. “We’ve determined that pretty much every party wants to keep the government open.” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed that sentiment.

According to Reuters analysis of voteview.com, a tool developed by political scientists to measure partisanship, members of Congress are more polarized than ever, making it difficult for lawmakers to compromise.

“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Jeff Lewis, a political scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who runs voteview.com. “There’s no strategy that can win over Democrats in a situation like this.”

To avoid a government shutdown, it is the responsibility of the US Congress to fund the government. The House and Senate must agree to fund the government in some way, and the president must sign the bill into law. Congress often relies on what is called a “continuing resolution,” or CR, to temporarily fund government offices while budget negotiations are ongoing.

Mike Johnson, who succeeded Republican Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker last month after three weeks in office, has sent mixed signals about passing a continuing resolution that would fund the government through Jan. 15, with the option of extending it into April if more time is needed for negotiations.

“He hasn’t decided what the plan is yet,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters at the Capitol on November 3.

Speaking to Fox News on November 5, House Speaker Johnson said he and his advisers worked through the weekend to find a temporary measure that would give them time to continue the budget allocation process.

Senior Republicans in both chambers believe a continuing resolution is inevitable. But for now, the new House Speaker needs to show hard-line Republicans that he is committed to their demand that the House pass the full 2024 appropriations bill before enacting a continuing resolution.

The House passed two of three Republican spending bills on its agenda last week, including congressional and environmental bills. That brings the party’s total number of spending bills passed to seven of the 12 needed. Meanwhile, the Senate passed three bills with bipartisan support.

“Obviously, the commitments have been made and the momentum needs to be maintained. But we are getting closer to November 17. An extension is necessary,” said Republican Rep. Frank Lucas.