Even as it became clear in recent days that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would not have the votes to pass the bill, which pairs a six-month continuing resolution (CR) with a contentious bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote, the leader had been vowing all week to press forward with the funding plan.
But just hours before the scheduled vote, leaders pulled it from the floor.
“The whip is going to do the hard work and build consensus. We’re going to work through the weekend on that,” Johnson told reporters.
Johnson later clarified: “No vote today, because we’re in the consensus-building business here in Congress with small majorities.”
The Speaker had 24 hours earlier promised to bring the legislation to the floor, despite the mounting opposition.
Asked about the implications of the legislation failing on the floor, Johnson had told The Hill on Tuesday morning, “Sometimes you have to do the right thing and let the chips fall where they may.”
Johnson’s move puts House GOP leadership back to square one: they now need to craft a conservative stopgap that could pass the House and, in turn, increase the party’s leverage in negotiations with Senate Democrats.
If this iteration was any indication, however, the path forward will be tricky.
The Hill’s Aris Foley, Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell have more here.
