By CATIE EDMONDSON and MAYA C. MILLER
Earlier this week, congressional leaders presented legislation that aims to sustain government funding through mid-March and deliver almost $100 billion in assistance for communities disrupted by hurricanes and various disasters.
Both parties’ negotiators have been working diligently to secure a deal ahead of a Friday deadline to prevent a government shutdown. The extensive bill, exceeding 1,500 pages, encompasses $10 billion in immediate economic support for farmers along with an additional $21 billion in disaster aid for them. It proposes maintaining current funding levels and postpones another funding dispute until March 14, when the Republican-controlled Congress will need to negotiate spending once more.
Moreover, it is filled with a variety of unrelated policy proposals concerning health, energy, digital privacy, and other issues that lawmakers secretly agreed to incorporate during the final bargaining phases in the waning days of Congress, backed by billions in federal funds and a common goal to clear legislative tasks before the new year.
Consequently, even prior to the unveiling of the legislation on Tuesday, it was evident that Speaker Mike Johnson might encounter significant pushback from his own members. Several House Republicans, including a number of mainstream conservatives, voiced their intention to reject the deal due to its aggregation of numerous policies into one extensive bill.
Johnson advocated for the legislation to lawmakers, asserting that Congress was obligated to react to what he termed “acts of God,” which included the dual hurricanes that struck the Southeast this autumn and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March.
“This was meant to be, and it was until recent days, a very straightforward, very clean continuing resolution, a temporary funding measure to carry us into the next year when we will have a unified government,” he stated at a press conference, referring to the notion of a continuing resolution to uphold federal funding. “We experienced these massive hurricanes in late fall, Helene and Milton, and other calamities. We must ensure that the Americans who were affected by these hurricanes receive the assistance they require.”
The apparent surge of Republicans ready to dissent suggested that Johnson would likely need to rely on Democrats to advance it through the House, a tactic he has utilized frequently to ensure that crucial legislation reaches completion. This would involve introducing the measure using a special procedure that limits discussion, prevents any amendments and necessitates the support of two-thirds of the voting members for passage.
This agreement appears at a particularly tense moment for Johnson as he aims for reelection as speaker on Jan. 3, and can tolerate only a handful of defections on the House floor, where he must secure a majority to retain his leadership. Just earlier this fall, Johnson seemed to enjoy solid backing from his conference after receiving a warm endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump.
Nevertheless, conservatives expressed their outrage regarding the legislation. They have long condemned the recurring practice in Congress of unveiling substantial spending bills mere days before lawmakers are set to depart Washington, effectively compelling them to either accept legislation they oppose or be deemed responsible for a shutdown shortly before the holiday season.
Thus, it was anticipated that Johnson would face a round of criticism from frustrated lawmakers on Tuesday morning as he attempted to promote the deal in a private meeting at the Capitol.
“It’s a total dumpster fire,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., remarked as he exited the meeting. “It’s garbage. This exemplifies what Washington, D.C., has become. This is why I ran for Congress — to oppose this.”
What was originally intended to be a straightforward stopgap spending bill “is transforming into a three-month omnibus that will see more Democrats than Republicans voting for it,” commented Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., as she referred to legislation that consolidates all 12 appropriations bills. “The swamp is using farmers and disaster victims as pawns to fund an excessively bloated project-laden calamity.”
Legislation regarding spending that must be enacted before year-end frequently serves as a receptacle for additional measures. This year proved to be no exception. Among the contents of the bill is an extensive array of health measures, including one that would impose new restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers, the entities contracted by employers and government programs like Medicare to negotiate medication prices and manage prescriptions.
Lawmakers aspire to reduce drug costs for patients, taxpayers, and employers by discouraging these companies from directing patients toward pricier medications to enhance their profits.
Additionally, another provision added to the spending package would permit E15 ethanol — gasoline mixed with 15% corn-based ethanol — to be sold throughout the year.
The bill also features a component that would transfer control of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia, facilitating the Washington Commanders football team in relocating their stadium from Maryland to host home games in the nation’s capital.
Furthermore, it encompasses a bipartisan proposal that would criminalize the distribution of “nonconsensual intimate visual depictions,” including deepfake pornography, and mandate social media platforms to establish procedures for removing such content upon notification by a victim.
