WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hardline U.S. House Republicans on Wednesday called on President Mike Johnson to abandon talks with Senate Democrats on bipartisan spending legislation to avoid a government shutdown and instead implement an agreed-upon automatic spending cut by his predecessor.
The ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, which represents about three dozen of Johnson’s 219-212 Republican majority in the House of Representatives, promoted the idea in a letter as congressional leaders rushed to complete legislation to avoid a possible shutdown partial government starting from the beginning of next month.
Hardliners also called on Johnson to update House Republicans on spending talks, arguing that party members were being left in the dark about spending levels and potential policy changes.
“Since January, Speaker Johnson has held regular meetings with members, includingappropriators and HFC members, on the status of the appropriations process for fiscal year 2024,” a Johnson spokesperson responded in a statement to Reuters.
Hardliners, whose calls for deep spending cuts and conservative policy changes stymied progress on House Republican spending last year, are worried that Johnson and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will soon unveil legislation with spending compromises and politicians who refuse.
“We could instead pass an annual funding resolution that would save Americans $100 billion in the first year,” 28 members of the hardline bloc told Johnson in the letter.
The letter referred to a section of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 that requires an across-the-board spending cut of 1% if the federal government is funded by a stopgap measure starting April 30. The current fiscal year began on October 1. and the government has since been funded by a series of short-term stopgap bills.
It was unclear whether the suggestion would make a difference to Johnson and other House Republican leaders.
A dozen hardliners shut down the House chamber in January to protest Johnson’s spending framework deal with Schumer. The speaker responded by challenging the group in a public statement.
Funding is set to expire March 1 for some federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, while others, like the Department of Defense, face an expiration on March 8.