Mike Johnson Keeps Passing Bills With More Democrats Than Republicans

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has passed another continuing resolution (CR) with the support of more Democrats than Republicans in an effort to avoid a government shutdown.

U.S. lawmakers failed for months to approve a funding package for the 2024 fiscal year, which began October 1, 2023. To keep the government from shutting down, Johnson has passed multiple short-term funding bills.

Congress had to approve four appropriations bills before Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown. On Thursday, Johnson managed to pass another CR instead and pushed the March 1 deadline to March 8. There was a second deadline to fund the majority of government agencies on March 8, but with the new CR, that has been moved to March 22.

The House vote to pass the CR was 320 to 99. Of the 210 Republicans that voted, 97 voted against the CR. Meanwhile, of the 209 Democrats that voted, only two opposed it. The Senate later approved the bill with a Thursday evening vote of 77-13.

This has become a running theme in the Republican-controlled House: GOP members voting against the speaker on crucial bills.

In January, 47 Republicans voted against the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. But it was still passed with 169 Republicans and 188 Democrats voting for it. Of the Democrats that voted, 23 opposed it. The final vote was 357-70.

The National Defense Authorization Act for the 2024 fiscal year, which allocates funds for the U.S. Department of Defense, was passed in the House in a 310-118 vote in December 2023. Again, more Democrats (163) voted for it than Republicans (147). Meanwhile, 73 Republicans and 45 Democrats voted against it.

As for the prior stopgap funding bills that Johnson has passed, Democrats had to help the speaker out during these votes as well.

In January, a CR was passed in a 314-108 vote. A total of 207 Democrats voted in favor of the bill compared to 107 Republicans who supported it. Meanwhile, in November, a CR was passed by a 336-95 vote: 209 Democrats and 127 Republicans voted for the measure.

Newsweek reached out to Johnson's office via email for comment.

Some Republicans, especially those in the far-right House Freedom Caucus, have opposed short-term spending bills.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, said ahead of the vote on Thursday: "Remember the big fight earlier this year about no CR's and rules and no omnibuses and no minibuses? Well, everything talked about in conference this morning was a CR, another CR, a weeklong CR."

"And then you've got the most conservative members of Congress standing up wanting a one-year CR. I don't know what to say," Greene added.

Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, said before the vote: "I'm for the long-term CR; that's the only way you can get leverage."

Update 02/29/24 9:34 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to reflect the Senate's vote on the short-term funding bill.