Right-wing Republicans pressure Mike Johnson to back out of spending deal as Congress races to dodge shutdown

WASHINGTON – Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is facing intense pressure from the House's most conservative lawmakers to back out of the spending agreement he struck with Democrats to avert a government shutdown, a path that could derail Congress' chances of keeping the government's doors open.

A group of ultraconservative GOP members met with Johnson and his deputies in his office on Thursday and, unlike previous closed-door meetings, did not leave the speaker’s suite frustrated with Republican leaders. Instead, the lawmakers told reporters Johnson is considering a new path that differs from the spending deal announced just days ago.

"We're having thoughtful conversations about funding options and priorities. We had a cross section of members in today, we'll continue to have cross sections of members in and while all those conversations are going on, I've made no commitments," Johnson said outside his office. He did not comment when asked by USA TODAY Tuesday evening whether he was renegotiating the deal.

However, the path forward for lawmakers to keep the government funded is murky. Democrats control the Senate and the White House, and it's not clear what Republicans could leverage to win the policy priorities and spending cuts they hope to deliver.

“There was 100% consensus in the room with everyone that was meeting with the speaker that the deal is terrible for the country and terrible for the Republican conference,” Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., chair of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, told reporters leaving Johnson’s office.

Asked whether what he would choose between a shutdown and the bipartisan spending deal, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said: "I think that the Schumer deal is a road to perdition and I don't favor that over almost anything."

On Sunday, Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. announced they had agreed to a $1.66 trillion spending deal to complete the 2024 fiscal year, which technically began in October. Lawmakers have already kicked the can down the road twice, opting for temporary funding agreements instead of longer-term compromises.

The Sunday agreement hewed closely to one struck between former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Joe Biden last year to raise the debt ceiling. The majority of that funding was required by law, but another $69 billion was agreed to on the side to get Democrats on board.

A group of right-wing Republicans had demanded lower spending levels, and the agreement became one of the reasons McCarthy was booted from the speakership in early October.

When Johnson became the new speaker after three weeks of chaos in the chamber, those ultraconservative members said they were willing to adhere to the plan – but said they couldn’t support the additional $69 billion they called “gimmicks.”

The announced spending agreement between House and Senate leadership enraged the House GOP conference’s right flank. In retaliation, 13 of those members tanked a procedural vote on Wednesday, freezing action on the House floor and forcing the lower chamber to close up shop for the day, earlier than expected.

Several of those members also mulled introducing a motion to vacate, which would tee up a vote to oust Johnson, though others indicated the ultraconservative lawmakers weren't willing to take that step yet.

"Most of America can see it. They're just feckless people. It's just easier for them to scream and vote no because it takes a lot of courage to explain a yes vote and everything that's inside of it," Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, said of the hard-right faction among House Republicans.

But on Thursday afternoon, the House once again voted on the procedural rule, and in a sign that talks continue to progress between the right flank and GOP leaders, most of those members voted for the rule, allowing the House to continue consideration of legislation.

But some Republicans warned against Johnson possibly reneging on the deal. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told reporters the speaker should "stick to his guns" and that it would be a "mistake" to change the agreement he reached with Schumer and other Democratic leaders.

"It's your handshake and your word right? If (Johnson's) giving that, then he should live by it," Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, told USA TODAY. If the speaker withdraws from the agreement, Joyce said, he risks his credibility with the Senate for any future negotiations.

But that doesn't seem to worry hard-right lawmakers. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who was among the conservative lawmakers in Johnson's office on Thursday, says he has "little concern" with what the Senate or White House might think of House Republicans.

House Democrats immediately criticized the possibility of Johnson abandoning the original deal. Reacting to reports Johnson was considering reneging, House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said “there’s nothing more to discuss” considering the spending numbers were already agreed to last summer between McCarthy and Biden.

The new deal “will make clear that House Republicans are determined to shut down the government, crash the economy and hurt the American people,” Jeffries said.

"These are individuals who don't want to govern, they do not know how to govern," Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said. "What is it that they don't understand about governing and getting something done?… They truly do want to shut the government down."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shutdown: Conservatives urge Mike Johnson to back out of spending deal