The House of Representatives leaves D.C. today and isn’t scheduled to return till February 28, leaving just three days to avoid a partial government shutdown—and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar is raising the alarm.
Aguilar, who as caucus chairman stands as the number three ranking House Democrat, knows the complexities of funding the government well. In addition to his leadership role, the Californian serves on the Appropriations Committee which is responsible for government funding.
Appropriations Committee members are responsible for drafting 12 funding bills that must receive a majority support by the greater House. Four of these bills are due March 1. The remaining eight are due March 8.
While the committee has been able to advance some of the bills, the process remains largely stalled as conservatives demand spending cuts and policy priorities that Democrats will not support. This has left Speaker Mike Johnson passing bills that only Republicans support. Yet with a razor-thin, soon-to-be two-seat majority, he’s struggled to do even that.
“The chaos, dysfunction, and extremism continue to be the hallmark of the Republican tenure in leadership this Congress, so I’m very concerned,” Aguilar told Newsweek. “Even with funding agreements, the extreme partisan riders that Speaker Johnson is likely to advance because Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene asked him to are deeply troubling to many of us.”
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
After much debate over topline spending figures, Johnson and Senator Chuck Schumer, who leads the Democratic-controlled Senate, reached a tentative agreement in January.
However, while the topline numbers may be in place, Republicans are pushing cuts to certain programs that Democrats find intolerable. For example, under the GOP’s Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies proposal, President Joe Biden’s beloved Amtrak would see a 64 percent budget cut.
The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act includes a policy rider that would prohibit the federal government from reducing or terminating a federal contract or grant allocated to an organization that discriminates against LGBTQ+ people if the organization does so on the grounds of religious liberty.
These are just two of the several examples of contentious policy provisions within the spending bills that serve as obstacles to gaining bipartisan support and could also sway some Republicans representing districts carried by President Joe Biden from backing the legislation.
Complicating the situation is the opposition from conservative Republicans to passing another “continuing resolution” to push back the deadline for a fourth time this fiscal year.
When Johnson agreed in January to extend the deadline to March, conservative Republicans began rumbling about filing a motion to vacate to remove Johnson, the same legislative tool used to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October.
Then, McCarthy declined to seek Democratic support to save his job, and Democrats did not offer it. If the GOP Speaker is willing to work in a bipartisan fashion, Aguilar suggested his caucus would be more supportive.
“We want a speaker who understands that in order to pass things, it’s going to take bipartisan support,” Aguilar said. “That’s all we’ve asked. It’s been very clear, from avoiding a catastrophic debt limit to funding the government, it’s going to take Democratic votes. We should be partners throughout that process.”
Newsweek contacted the Speaker Johnson’s office for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.