What was Speaker Johnson thinking?

House Speaker Johnson came to power when the right wing of the Republican House caucus rose up against then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the business-as-usual legislative process. 

Johnson was a member of the Freedom Caucus and often described as a MAGA Republican.  So, how is it possible that he played business as usual by agreeing to a god-awful funding bill that simply kicked the can down the road and agreed to a bill filled with billions of dollars of perks, pork and pet spending projects?  That also includes funding for those automatic Congressional pay raises.

As is often the case, the original 1500 page Bill – based on an agreement between Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies – was revealed just prior to the voting deadline – providing zero time to read and analyze it.   But enough could be garnered on quick perusal to know that it was another congressional stink bomb.

Johnson should have known that there were more than a few in his GOP caucus who would go bonkers.  And just a handful is enough to prevent the Speaker from getting the vote count he needed.

Most speakers do not bring a bill up for consideration until they know they have the votes.  Johnson brought up the Bill knowing he did not have the votes.  At least he should have known.  Hell, he did not even have the backing of President Trump, who came out against the bill.

The left-wing press is running with a narrative that it was Elon Musk who doomed the Bill when he posted his opposition on X.  That might fit with the left’s narrative attacking Musk as a conflicted billionaire acting as a de facto President, but it is just political bs.  That initial bill was dead on arrival no matter what Musk said or  did not say. 

The Republican revolt against the Bill was already underway when Musk issued his comments on X.  Anyone who knows anything about Congress would understand that Musk’s opinion is unlikely to have changed a single vote on the Bill. 

Trump can have influence over votes – not Musk.  Had Trump strongly supported the bill, it might have had a chance.   But the  bill was so bad that he had to oppose his own Speaker.

The there was a second bill proposed by Johnson.  It too failed.  Finally, there was a bipartisan compromise bill that passed and a government shutdown was put off for another day.  It passed over the opposition of __ Republican House members.

Trump wanted Congress to abolish the meaningless debt ceiling. Insofar as the  final bill did not  provide for that, Trump came out on the short end of  the deal.

And now Johnson’s fate is being debated.  Can he survive as Speaker?   It only takes one member to move to vacate the chair – and the vote is on.  It seems more likely than not that in an actual vote, Johnson would not get the full support of his members.  A couple of defections, and he is out.  That could lead to another prolonged multi-vote disaster.  Even worse because this one comes at the beginning of the new Congress.  If Republicans cannot agree at the onset, the business of the House ceases.  Not only no legislation, but no committee appointments and most significantly … no certification of the incoming President.

It looks like chaos ahead – but it may be a blessing in disguise.  Perhaps … just perhaps … this will be the last time that all the nonsense about earmarks, excessive spending, continuing resolutions and legislative hanky-panky will end.  President  Trump and House  Republicans have an opportunity to return the Congress to the normal order constitutionally required budgeting process – which has not taken place for approximately  30 years.

One should not overlook the malevolent role that is being played by the House Democrats.  They are united in their refusal to support any bill that does not continue their tax and spend policies – and all the expenditures for their special interest groups.  That is the money used to buy votes.

Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was on the telly talking about the now-dead compromise bill.  She talked about the funding for hurricane victims and brush fire victims.  Of course, that is a very small portion of the $1.7 trillion dollar short-term funding Bill.  She did not point to all the special interest political payoffs.  It is a pork barrel bill with more fat than pork.

Democrats are complaining that Trump is acting as if he were already President – and even that Musk is a shadow President.  The only person that no one is accusing of acting like a president is … President Biden.  Both he and Vice President Harris were MIA during the government funding debate.

Hopefully with the new administration and new resolve, we will at last stop kicking the problem of excessive and wasteful spending down the road and actually bring fiscal responsibility and economic sanity to Washington. 

So, there ‘tis.