House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended his support for a government spending bill on Wednesday despite opposition from fellow Republicans, including key allies of President-elect Trump.
Negotiators are working on a short-term extension of current government funding levels known as a continuing resolution (CR). A bill must pass the House and Senate at the end of Friday, Dec. 20, to avoid a partial government shutdown just before the holidays.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Johnson shared, that while government debt and deficits are a concern, Republicans must approve “short-term stopgap funding measures” while Democrats still control the White House and Senate.
“We’ve got it in our central focus and when we start the new Congress in January, when Republicans are in control and DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) is working on all six cylinders, we’re going to be able to scale back the size and scope of government,” he said.
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Johnson also said the move would ensure Republicans can control spending for 2025, describing it as an “impossible position.”
“This is the sausage-making process,” he added.
According to Johnson, the government doesn’t “have a choice” and must push the bill through to ensure funding for emergencies (FEMA) and farmers and ranchers.
The House Speaker also revealed that he has been on a text chain with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will helm DOGE.
“Remember, guys, we still have just a razor-thin margin of Republicans. So, any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation.” Johnson said, referencing the text exchange.
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“They said it’s not directed at you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending. I said, guess what, fellas? I don’t either. We got to get this done because here’s the key. By doing this, we are clearing the decks and we are setting up for Trump to come in, roaring back with the America First agenda,” he continued.
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Johnson won unanimous support to become speaker again in House Republicans’ closed-door elections earlier this year, hours after Trump told lawmakers he supported him.
He needs almost the same level of support in early January when the entire House votes to elect a new speaker. With just a slim majority, Johnson can only afford to lose a few members of the House GOP to still win the gavel.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
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