A group of House Republicans, led by Rep. Chip Roy, is threatening to oppose a key procedural vote unless changes are made to a Senate-passed continuing resolution that would fund the government through Dec. 11, raising the possibility of a floor showdown that could disrupt Speaker Mike Johnson’s legislative agenda.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
House Republican leaders are facing an internal revolt over a Senate-approved government funding measure as several conservatives threaten to use a procedural vote Tuesday to halt unrelated legislation unless they are given a chance to change the bill.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, along with at least two other Republicans, has said he plans to oppose a key House rule over objections to provisions included in the continuing resolution, or CR, according to The Hill.
The Senate-passed measure would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11.
The funding bill itself is expected to be considered under suspension of the rules, a process that does not require adoption of a separate procedural rule but does require a two-thirds majority for passage. Democratic votes are expected to be needed and available.
That leaves conservatives with another source of leverage.
By voting against the procedural rule governing other legislation scheduled for consideration this week, dissatisfied Republicans could effectively stop the House floor from functioning and prevent GOP leadership from advancing much of its broader agenda.
Speaker Mike Johnson has little margin for error. If every member is present and voting, he can afford to lose only three Republicans on the rule.
The vote could become even more difficult for leadership because some lawmakers may be away from Washington during the height of the midterm campaign season.
Roy said Monday night that he intends to vote against the rule, objecting to several components of the Senate bill.
Among his concerns is language temporarily delaying a prohibition involving certain hemp products.
Roy said he wants either a “clean” continuing resolution without additional policy provisions or an opportunity for House Republicans to offer amendments of their own.
One amendment he wants considered would restore a prohibition on federal funding for Planned Parenthood that expired during the summer.
“All of this could’ve been handled either by putting it in the rule and allowing some amendments or just doing a clean CR, they didn’t do that,” Roy said of the Senate. “So, I’ve got major problems with that.”
Roy also detailed his concerns in a Monday letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., and House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, according to The Hill.
His objections are not isolated.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., said Tuesday morning that he also opposed the procedural rule because of the hemp provision.
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, who typically supports Republican leadership on procedural matters, said he would vote against the rule as well.
Other House Republicans have raised concerns about language in the Senate measure delaying implementation of a rule that would give political appointees in President Donald Trump’s administration greater authority over the distribution of federal grants.
The growing opposition puts Johnson in a difficult position because even lawmakers who share some of the conservatives’ policy objections are warning against creating a confrontation that could jeopardize government funding.
Cole said he agreed that the hemp language should not have been included in the continuing resolution.
“This should not have been on here, CR should not be controversial, so I’m sympathetic with that,” Cole said.
But he also argued that Republicans should avoid a funding crisis so close to the November midterm elections.
Cole was especially critical of members seeking to use unrelated procedural votes to force changes to the spending package.
“A lot of this is we’ve got a group that wants to leverage the procedural votes to extract things that the majority of us probably don’t want to do. I find that disappointing,” Cole said. “Your final vote on the bill is up to you, but blackmailing your colleagues is not the way to build an effective team.”
The dispute highlights the recurring challenge facing House Republican leaders when governing with a narrow majority.
Because the CR is being brought up under suspension of the rules, conservatives cannot defeat it simply by blocking the usual procedural mechanism. Instead, they are threatening to withhold support from a separate rule in an effort to gain leverage over leadership and force additional changes or amendment votes.
If Roy, Harris, Sessions and another Republican vote no while the conference is otherwise at full strength, the procedural rule could fail.
Such a defeat would not necessarily kill the funding bill itself, but it could freeze consideration of other legislation and force Johnson and his leadership team to negotiate with dissenting members before restoring normal floor operations.
The central dispute is therefore no longer limited to whether the House will approve the Senate’s Dec. 11 funding extension. It has become a test of how much leverage a small group of Republicans can exercise over the chamber’s broader agenda when party leaders have only a handful of votes to spare.
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