House Speaker Mike Johnson Has a Novel Idea for Avoiding Government Shutdown

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has proposed a “laddered” continuing resolution as a strategy to prevent a government shutdown, an approach that would extend individual parts of the appropriations process rather than enacting a blanket extension.

“Potentially, you would do a CR that extends individual pieces of the appropriations process, individual bills,” Johnson said during a press conference on November 2.

Johnson’s innovative proposal comes as the current 45-day stop-gap funding bill nears expiration. The speaker is under pressure to keep the government operational while navigating the political minefield that previously led to his predecessor’s downfall. The former speaker, Kevin McCarthy, lost his position after passing a stop-gap bill perceived as a concession to Democratic spending plans.

As the speaker’s first week unfolds, he is tasked with finalizing 12 spending bills mandated by law. Johnson has acknowledged the unlikelihood of meeting the November 17 deadline, stating, “We’ve run out of clock on this.”

The previous fiscal year ended without any of the 12 essential spending bills signed into law. A last-minute 45-day funding bill was passed to prevent a shutdown. This move, however, was seen by some as a capitulation, leading to McCarthy’s ousting. Johnson initially aimed to extend funding into the new year but faced resistance.

Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee encapsulated the opposition to passing another short-term bill.

“By law, we have one job, and that is to pass 12 appropriations bills and a budget. We aren’t doing that, which is why we are $33 trillion in debt. I won’t vote to let Congress continue kicking the can down the road when we should have been working on this in August. We can’t keep playing games with Americans’ hard-earned money,” Burchett stated.

The laddered approach, while novel, could garner support from those who are staunchly against temporary funding measures. Johnson believes it could build consensus among legislators.

Experts have weighed in on this unprecedented strategy. Marc Goldwein, from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, finds the idea intriguing but untested in government. Economist Peter C. Earle from the American Institute for Economic Research drew parallels to financial practices, where staggered payments are common. He explained that this method could keep the government funded while individual bills are negotiated.

However, Earle also warned of potential pitfalls such as individual funding discussions becoming mired in partisanship, leading to targeted government shutdowns.

The House has passed half of the required spending bills, with more votes scheduled. The Senate has completed three. Both chambers have a limited legislative calendar before the impending deadline.

Johnson has promised to elaborate on the laddered CR concept in the coming days as the clock ticks down to a critical juncture for the U.S. government’s operational funding.

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