Speaker Mike Johnson Caves to Swamp Politics Again: Agrees with Musk Criticism but Weak Johnson Pushes Massive Spending Bill Anyway
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended his proposed stopgap funding measure, which would extend current government funding levels through mid-March.
The bill has been widely criticized by Republican hardliners and conservative leaders as a betrayal of the GOP’s promises to rein in reckless spending and hold Democrats accountable.
With a razor-thin Republican majority in the House, Johnson has repeatedly relied on temporary funding measures to stave off government shutdowns—a tactic many see as a capitulation to Democrat priorities.
His latest CR not only fails to address conservative concerns but also reportedly includes major policy changes, such as a congressional pay raise, a carve-out for lawmakers to opt out of Obamacare, and funding for controversial State Department censorship programs.
Washington Bureau Chief for Breitbart Matthew Boyle wrote, “It’s not a “stopgap” spending bill. Stop calling it that. It’s a massive change to federal policy. Includes: * First Pay Raise for Congress in 15 Years * Allows Congress to opt out of Obamacare and join federal workers’ health plans (this was a MAJOR point of contention during Obamacare debate) * Funds highly controversial censorship efforts at the State Department.”
“These 3 things alone are major policy issues that in a just world wouldn’t be rammed through in a lame duck session as the outgoing Congress was mostly just roasted at the ballot box. This is not just a continuing resolution at current levels or something,” he added.
Rep. Nancy Mace also blasted the bill stating, “We need to start calling these stop gap spending bills “continuing delusions.” How can DC ever plan to balance the budget when it just keeps spending?”
“It’s a total dumpster fire. I think it’s garbage,” GOP Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri, who is a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said.
“Sadly, this is happening again. I think that it’s shameful that people that celebrate DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] coming in, and yet we’re going to vote for another billion dollars to be added to the deficit. It’s ironic,” added the lawmaker, who probably meant to say trillion dollars, given the legislation would fund the entire government until March 14.
Tesla founder and Trump confidante Elon Musk did not mince words in a fiery critique of Johnson’s spending bill. “This bill should not pass,” Musk declared in a post on X.
In a Fox News interview, Speaker Johnson attempted to justify the bill, claiming it was necessary to “clear the decks” for a Trump administration set to take power in January.
Mike Johnson: “Well, I was communicating with Elon last night. Elon and Vivek and I are on a text chain together, and I was explaining to them the background of this. Vivek and I talked last night, almost at midnight, and he said, “Look, I get it. We understand you’re in an impossible position. Everybody knows that.”
Remember, guys, we still have just a razor-thin margin of Republicans. So any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation.
They said, “It’s not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending.” I said, “Guess what, fellows? I don’t either. We’ve got to get this done because here’s the key: by doing this, we are clearing the decks and we are setting up for Trump to come in, roaring back with the America First agenda.”
That’s what we’re going to run with gusto beginning January third, when we start the new Congress, when Republicans, again, are in control. All of our fiscal conservative friends—I’m one of them—will be able to finally do the things that we’ve been wanting to do for the last couple of years. Right now, Democrats still control the pen, and that’s the problem.
We’ve got to get this thing done so we don’t have the shutdown, so we get the short-term funding measure, and we get to March where we can put our fingerprints on the spending. That’s when the big changes start, and we can’t wait to get there.” But conservatives aren’t buying it. Johnson’s rhetoric about “setting up for Trump to come in roaring back” rings hollow when the actions he’s taking now lay the groundwork for more government bloat and liberal policy wins.
This isn’t the first time Johnson has relied on continuing resolutions, a tactic that sidesteps the hard work of negotiating meaningful, conservative budget reforms.
His repeated failures to unite Republicans and instead lean on Democratic votes raise serious questions about his leadership and commitment to the America First agenda.
Grassroots conservatives, already disillusioned with establishment Republicans, see this as yet another betrayal. With Republicans holding only a slim majority in the House, Johnson’s inability—or unwillingness—to rally his own party is a glaring weakness that emboldens Democrats and undermines conservative principles.
Donald Trump’s incoming administration will inherit not just a spending crisis but also the political fallout of a Republican Party that seems incapable of standing its ground.
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