Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) passed a massive $1.2 trillion government funding plan despite the objections of the majority of House Republicans, violating the Hastert Rule and crossing the Rubicon into dangerous territory for the future of his speakership.
House Republicans enacted the longstanding rule to prohibit Republican Speakers from colluding with Democrats to pass legislation. But Johnson sent the bill to the Senate despite the objections of 112 Republican colleagues, with only 101 Republican votes in favor, although Johnson and his leadership team applied significant pressure.
Johnson also broke a House rule intended to give lawmakers time to review legislation before a vote. The 1,000-plus page spending bill was presented to members before 3:00 a.m. Eastern on Thursday morning, less than 36 hours before the vote.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which is working to clear hurdles and enable the bill to pass as soon as today. A partial government shutdown would technically begin Saturday morning after midnight, although no significant effects would be felt until Monday.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) filed a motion to vacate the chair in the moments leading up to the vote in anticipation of Johnson possibly violating the Hastert Rule and objections over the broader process, policies, and spending inside the unpopular bill. That motion is not privileged and therefore does not require the House to immediately address it. However, Greene could change the motion to privileged in the future.
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mike Johnson (Anna Moneymaker, Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Yet by filing the motion Friday, Greene puts increased pressure on Johnson, who has weathered attacks from his fellow Republicans but had not yet passed such a massive spending bill in the face of objections of the party, which awarded him the gavel only months ago.
The House will reconvene after a two-week Easter recess with Johnson facing a potential revolt from one flank and insistence he pass billions of dollars in foreign aid from another. Greene’s resolution is a warning to Johnson that he could face removal if he moves a bill to fund Ukraine’s war with Russia with American taxpayer dollars.
If the Senate passes the bill as expected, Congress will almost immediately turn to funding for the next fiscal year, which must be addressed before October. Johnson must face almost identical hurdles in working to fund the government by that deadline, but it is unlikely his own party will be willing to accept him passing a funding bill over their objections again.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
