House Speaker's Plan to Avert Shutdown Faces Critical 24 Hours

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s new short-term funding plan for the U.S. government could run aground in the next 24 hours, raising the risk of a Nov. 18 shutdown.

Hardline conservatives have two opportunities to sabotage Johnson’s proposal even before a House vote planned for Tuesday.

President Joe Biden also has a weapon available. He could issue an explicit veto threat, which would damage prospects for Democratic support in that vote.

Johnson’s plan, which would temporarily fund some parts of the U.S. government through Jan. 19 and other parts through Feb. 2, faces opposition from at least eight ultra-conservatives who want immediate spending cuts or changes to immigration law as a condition for any interim measure.

“I will not support a status quo that fails to acknowledge fiscal irresponsibility, and changes absolutely nothing while emboldening a do-nothing Senate and a fiscally illiterate President,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry said on X, the social media site.

That means he will need at least some Democrats to vote for his plan, though many of them object to leaving out aid to Israel and Ukraine and to the threat of a two-step shutdown in the new year.

Hardline conservatives’ opportunities stem from the House’s byzantine parliamentary rules, which are so burdensome that legislation typically requires a special individual rule that must be proposed by the powerful House Rules Committee.

Ultra-conservatives on the panel could band together to block the funding measure from advancing out of the committee when it meets Monday evening.

So far, Texas Representative Chip Roy, who sits on the Rules Committee, has announced that he will oppose the measure. Eyes will be on fiscal hawk Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who could allow the bill to come to the floor despite its lack of spending cuts.

Hardliners get another shot even if the committee advances the resolution. Technically, the whole House must approve the rule proposed by the panel before it can consider Johnson’s plan.