Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Wednesday that a stopgap to avert a government shutdown next month is “becoming inevitable” and that it will probably be as “clean” as possible, as both sides have struggled for weeks to strike a full-year funding deal.
Pressed about the prospect of a six-month stopgap, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), Johnson said, “It looks as though it is becoming inevitable at this point,” while pointing fingers at Democrats for “placing completely unreasonable conditions on the negotiations.”
“They want us to limit the scope of executive authority,” Johnson said. “They want us to tie the hands of the president. They want to stipulate, for example, how many specific numbers of employees would be required by executive agencies.”
“That’s just totally unprecedented. It’s inappropriate. I think it’s unconstitutional. I think it’d be a violation of separation of powers,” he said.
Congress has until March 14 to pass legislation to keep the government funded or risk a shutdown.
Johnson’s comments come as Democrats have pressed for assurances that a bipartisan funding deal that emerges from talks won’t be undercut by Trump amid his Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) sweeping operation to reshape the federal government.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), a top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, voiced frustration with Republicans on Wednesday over the funding talks. She also accused Republicans of not answering Democrats’ last offer, which she said was made on Saturday.
“The Republican president has no authority. He is in violation of the law,” she told reporters, before adding: “Ask my Republican colleagues about where we need to go. Don’t keep asking me the same questions over and over and over.”
Trump has rolled out a batch of executive orders aimed at shrinking the government and curbing federal spending since taking office last month.
Democrats have seized on the orders, which include measures aimed at freezing funds for climate and infrastructure laws championed by former President Biden, along with efforts seeking to dismantle offices such as the United States Agency for International Development.
At the same time, some conservatives have been pressing for Congress to codify Trump’s orders ahead of the March 14 deadline. But Republicans haven’t committed to making Trump’s order a red line in funding talks with Democrats.
“I don’t know if we can get into the CR, if it’s a CR, it probably is as close to a clean CR as possible, because that’s the most reasonable thing to do to ensure that the government is not shut down,” Johnson said on the matter on Wednesday.
“But we will be looking to codify the DOGE savings, and it certainly will be part of reconciliation and with the rest of our agenda going forward.”
Mychael Schnell contributed.
