Speaker of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress Mike Johnson presented a bill that should help to avoid a partial suspension of the U.S. government. At the same time, the politician excluded from his plan the mention of financial aid to Ukraine and Israel in order to strengthen the position of the Republicans in the upcoming negotiations with the Senate and the Biden administration on this issue, The New York Times writes.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled a “convoluted” plan to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of next week. He has proposed a bill that would temporarily extend funding for some federal agencies until the end of January and others until early February, The New York Times reported.
Notably, Johnson’s initiative does not mention economic support for Ukraine and Israel. The politician hopes to use the issue of their assistance to strengthen the position of Republicans in negotiations with the Senate and the Biden administration on a bill on emergency spending for national security, which will not be subject to the shutdown, according to the publication.
However, it’s still unclear whether enough fellow Republicans will support the speaker’s idea, which could come up for a vote as early as early next week. It’s also still unclear how Democratic congressmen will feel about his plan, the article stresses.
Meanwhile, the administration has already met Johnson’s bill with a stinging rebuke. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dubbed it “a recipe for more Republican chaos and new shutdowns,” The New York Times notes.