President-elect Donald Trump has asked to keep certain measures House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) supports in the continuing resolution (CR), like aid for farmers and natural disaster survivors, but also demanded the House ditch items that Democrats negotiated.
Trump has also requested that Republicans extend the suspension of the debt ceiling, a limit on how much the U.S. government can borrow, which is set to expire early in his new term next year.
Johnson’s legislative strategy has sparked significant discontent among Republicans, casting doubt on his ability to retain the gavel in the next Congress. On Tuesday, Johnson introduced a sprawling bill to extend federal funding until March 14, allocating $110.4 billion for natural disaster relief ($21 billion in ag disaster funding) and incorporating a range of unrelated policy provisions. Late-stage negotiations added $10 billion in aid for farmers, opening the floodgates to additional Democratic demands, including the transfer of RFK Stadium to D.C., a congressional pay raise, health plan regulations, and funds to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The concessions enraged GOP lawmakers across the party’s ideological spectrum, with members voicing concerns about Johnson’s leadership. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already pledged not to support Johnson in future leadership elections, and private discussions among Republicans suggest Johnson may face insurmountable opposition come Jan. 3. The Freedom Caucus and moderates alike criticized his handling of the bill, while high-profile figures like Elon Musk, now a Trump adviser, lambasted the legislation as “criminal.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) warned of potential Senate resistance, labeling the bill a “cramnibus.” Johnson defended the compromise as a necessary measure under a divided government, framing it as a preparatory step for Republicans to advance Trump’s “America First” agenda in the next Congress. However, with a slim three-seat majority and growing fractures within the party, Johnson’s future as speaker hangs in the balance.