Facing a looming government shutdown and internal party discord, the House of Representatives has prematurely closed, leaving critical national security legislation and budget appropriations unresolved. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has led the House into recess until February 28, mere days before the deadline for a partial government shutdown set for March 1. This break comes as lawmakers failed to advance several key spending bills necessary to avoid service interruptions across various government departments.
Despite the urgency, Speaker Johnson remained optimistic about meeting deadlines, downplaying the possibility of another short-term funding measure. The House’s previous stopgap, passed on January 18, merely postponed the inevitable, buying time until the first set of appropriations bills—covering Agriculture, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Energy and Water—expire on March 1. The remainder face a March 8 deadline.
However, progress has been stalled since November, with the House having passed only seven out of 12 required appropriations bills, and the Senate lagging with three. The legislative gridlock is compounded by the House’s tight schedule, offering a mere three working days post-recess to broker a spending agreement or risk a shutdown.
The Republican conference under Johnson’s four-month tenure has seen significant internal strife, impeding legislative advancements. This was exemplified when a faction of House Republicans joined Democrats to defeat a bill on state and local taxes, a measure vital to New York Republicans.
Complications continued with the postponement of a vote on the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act due to intra-party clashes, prompting the early recess. This move drew criticism from the White House, which accused Johnson of undermining national security by neglecting aid to Ukraine and Israel and failing to address security-related legislation. White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates reprimanded Johnson for “cutting and running” on an “early, undeserved vacation,” exacerbating the risk to national security and diminishing Republican rapport with the American public. Bates’ condemnation highlights the growing pressure on the House leadership to convene a “clean vote” and align on a unified strategy to secure the nation’s interests and financial stability.
