Lawmakers unveil bill to avoid shutdown six days out from Christmas

Lawmakers announced a continuing resolution Tuesday evening that would extend the government’s current spending levels through March. Unless action is taken, the government’s current funding will run out by Friday.

While most of the Republican conference begrudgingly accepted the need for the bill, several lawmakers expressed deep reservations to WORLD about its numerous provisions and its last-minute formation.

Speaking after the GOP's weekly closed door meeting on Tuesday, Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., accused his fellow Republican lawmakers of pinning themselves in a corner. He expressed frustration, saying it felt like the bill was written solely by two people, rather than by the entire conference.

In addition to government stopgap spending, the bill includes a one-year extension of the Farm Bill, a government-services package focused on the agricultural industry, food stamps, and other programs. It also includes almost $100 million in disaster relief funding and takes steps towards reforming pharmacy benefit managers, entities that negotiate drug costs between manufacturers and insurance companies. These are only some of the elements included in the package.

What are Republicans frustrated about? Along with promises to cut spending, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged at the outset of his speakership to open up the legislation-making process and to avoid end-of-year omnibus packages. Frustrated Republicans believe Johnson broke those promises during his management of this most recent spending crisis.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she believes the continuing resolution has become an omnibus bill in its own right because of the many elements it encompasses as well as its sheer size. The bill is 1,547 pages long.

But the bigger transgression for many lawmakers is that the text of the bill was supposed to have been finished weeks ago. Bipartisan negotiations, largely over the farm bill and its provisions, have delayed its release and prevented Republicans from including many party-line priorities.

With just three days to go before a partial government shutdown—and just a week until Christmas—lawmakers like Greene and McCormick believe the timing of the bill has robbed the conference of any meaningful discussion on its substance.

What is Johnson saying? House Speaker Mike Johnson defended his bill on Tuesday at a press conference, insisting that the package isn’t an omnibus. In principle, Johnson maintained the bill is a stopgap with a few additional items Republicans had no choice but to address.

Johnson also confirmed he intends to abide by the 72-hour rule, a self-imposed House procedure that gives lawmakers three days to review legislation. That would mean the earliest possible passage of the bill would be Friday afternoon.

Dig deeper: How did we get here? Why is there a question about whether the government will remain open a week before Christmas? Read my reporting on the last continuing resolution—and the very similar frustrations that accompanied that bill.