Five months and one week into this fiscal year, the House has finally passed legislation to fund roughly half of the government. After months of chaos that featured the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and delay after delay created by the Freedom Caucus, the package is a loss for both new Speaker Mike Johnson and the extremist House members.
Johnson came into the job knowing that McCarthy was booted over the agreement he reached with President Joe Biden last spring on funding for the year. Johnson has had the threat of a challenge to his leadership hanging over him for the whole of his short tenure. While the new speaker tried to dance to the extremists’ tune like McCarthy did, he–and they—have had to accept reality and swallow it: The Freedom Caucus’ fervent wish to shut the government down and/or force their extremist policies on the nation has been thwarted again.
For now, the government will stay open (at least partially) at roughly 2023 spending levels. The policy fights will continue over the remaining six funding bills until the March 22 deadline for passing them, but House Republicans have essentially lost.
The package approved today contains funding for the following: Agriculture-Food and Drug Administration; Commerce, Justice, and Science; Energy and Water Development; the Interior; Military Construction-Veterans Administration; and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development. The appropriations for Defense, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor-Health and Human Services, the Legislative Branch, and State and Foreign Operations will be due March 22.
Johnson has tried to claim victory but Democrats gave away very little on the fundamentals and gained some real wins. Most significantly, the legislation resolves the funding crisis for the Women, Infants & Children nutrition assistance program for moms and babies known as WIC, which was nearly bankrupt. The infusion of $8 billion is $1 billion more than its previous budget.
This means that Johnson is left with crumbs to crow over, like an empty Justice Department policy rider that “prohibits the Department from targeting or investigating parents who peacefully protest at school board meetings and are not suspected of engaging in unlawful activity.” Which isn’t a thing that was happening anyway.
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