A cartoon by Clay Bennett.
Campaign ActionThe House GOP can’t even go on vacation without fighting
It wasn’t pretty—particularly on the House side—but Congress got the government funded, but the bruising battle to do that doesn’t end beleaguered House Speaker Mike Johnson’s headaches. In fact, it could put him in an even tougher position with his fractious caucus when they return from their two-week recess, on April 9. Hanging over him are his party’s very slim majority and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s threat to oust him if he brings a Ukraine aid bill to the floor for a vote.
Colorado GOP Rep. Ken Buck is gone as of Friday, and happy as a clam to be out of it. "No rearview mirror," Buck said in his exit interview on ABC's "This Week" Sunday. "Happy to move on." He added that leadership has “serious problems with setting priorities,” including the ongoing ridiculous impeachment efforts of President Joe Biden and a bunch of cabinet secretaries. “We have a very tragic circumstance in Ukraine. We have spiraling debt, all kinds of out-of-control problems, and we focus on messaging bills that get us nowhere,” he said.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican, is hot on Buck’s heels. His surprise announcement Friday that he’s starting his retirement from Congress early, on April 19, will leave Johnson with only one vote to spare—and looking over his shoulder if he puts a Ukraine aid bill on the floor.
Greene has said such a bill would be her trigger to activate her motion to vacate the chair, which would force a vote on removing Johnson from the speakership. A few other Republicans, including Freedom Caucus Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina, are playing coy. Just to rub Johnson’s nose in it a little more, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie taunted Johnson with this X (formerly Twitter) poll:
More than ever, Johnson is going to need Democratic votes to hang onto the speaker’s gavel and get anything accomplished. That basically puts Democrats in control of the Ukraine debate. It also puts Johnson in even more of a bind. Having to rely on Democrats for protection and to pass critical bills will create only more turmoil for him with his Republican detractors.
On top of all that, there are vacancies in top seats on committees. In another surprise announcement on Friday, Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger of Texas stepped down. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, currently the chair of the powerful Rules Committee, immediately announced he wanted the Appropriations job, and he’ll likely get it.
Cole, an ally of the current leadership, could do both jobs but that would probably serve to further enrage the Freedom Caucus and their allies. Reps. Roy, Norman, and Massie are all on the Rules Committee—the deciding voting bloc that has proven to be a massive headache for Johnson already. They could raise hell and demand that another one of their own get the chairman’s seat, another brewing flashpoint for Johnson.
All this while Johnson has to worry about Buck’s parting shot. He warned in an interview with Axios, on March 12, “I think it's the next three people that leave that they're going to be worried about.” One of them—Gallagher—is on his way out, and all the turmoil ahead makes Buck’s prediction even more likely.
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Campaign ActionCartoon: Impeachment rubble
A cartoon by Mike Luckovich.
Campaign ActionCongressional diversity and inclusion office shut down by $1.2T government funding deal
A congressional office aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion was shuttered late last week with the passage of the bipartisan $1.2 trillion government spending package.
The director of the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Sesha Joi Moon, announced the office would be dissolved as a result of the House passing its legislative funding bill, one of six bills in the overall package, according to a statement obtained by Fox News Digital late Friday.
It is being replaced by the Office of Talent Management.
HOUSE PASSES $1.2 TRILLION GOVERNMENT SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
"Since March 2020, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion [ODI] has had the privilege of helping to create and cultivate a congressional workforce that is reflective of the American people at the U.S. House of Representatives [USHR]," Moon said.
"Since our inception, we’ve fulfilled this mandate as a non-partisan and non-legislative support office by delivering candidate services, member services, research and data analytics, professional development, and programming through the tenets of service, commitment, collaboration, integrity, and belonging as our core values.
"Tentatively effective March 22, 2024, ODI will be dissolved as part of the FY2024 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill. However, while I will off-ramp in coming weeks as part of my long-planned departure, some from the team will continue in the USHR’s commitment to ‘put the people in the people’s house’ by transitioning to the newly formed Office of Talent Management within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer."
TERM LIMITS, PREVENTING LEADER ‘MONARCHY’ BECOME TOP CONCERNS IN POST-MCCONNELL GOP
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., lauded the office's dissolution, pointing out that like most operations of the federal government, it was run on taxpayer funds.
He told Fox News Digital, "House Republicans promised to claw back Democrats' wasteful spending, and this is just another example of how we're delivering. Americans should not be forced to foot the bill for the radical left's woke agenda in Washington."
Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for comment. Jeffries' office referred Fox News Digital to the Democratic minority of the Committee on House Administration, which blamed Republicans for the move.
"Instead of doing anything to make life better for the American people, extreme MAGA Republicans have been targeting the Office of Diversity and Inclusion from the beginning of this Congress, pushing an agenda to defund and dissolve the office. Despite the unilateral decision to eliminate the office, Democrats were able to ensure that the functions and staff are preserved under the auspices of the Chief Administrative Officer and will be closely studying how best to enhance these efforts in a future Democratic majority," a Democratic spokesperson said.
The ODI was formed under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during the Trump administration.
"Core values" listed on the office’s website include an "unwavering commitment to advancing representation across the House workforce by staying true to its mission and vision" as well as ensuring "the House community is representative of the nation."
HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T 'CALL THE SHOTS' ON WHEN IMPEACHMENT IS OVER
A source familiar with the decision said many functions it was performing were redundant, arguing the Congressional Administrative Office was already charged with many of the same tasks. In its brief active period, it also left millions in unspent funds each year, according to the source.
The $1.2 trillion spending deal, which includes roughly 70% of fiscal year 2024’s discretionary government funding, passed the House 286 to 134 on Friday. It passed the Senate 74 to 24 in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Johnson said when the package passed the House, "During the FY24 appropriations process, House Republicans achieved conservative policy wins, rejected extreme Democrat proposals, and imposed substantial cuts while significantly strengthening national defense. The process was also an important step in breaking the omnibus muscle memory and represents the best achievable outcome in a divided government."
Trump to renew push for delay in New York hush money trial as $454M fraud bond comes due
Former President Trump will appear in a Manhattan court on Monday, where he is expected to renew his push for a delay in his hush money payments trial.
The trial is currently scheduled for April 15, a date that was already delayed 30 days thanks to the discovery of new evidence material in early March. In a separate case, Trump also faces a Monday deadline to pay a $454 million bond in the civil fraud case brought against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Judge Juan Merchan is holding Monday's hearing to make a final determination for the date of the trial. Trump's team argues that the evidence uncovered in early March requires more time for review. They also say that prosecutors with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's office received elements of the new evidence before the defense and allegedly violated discovery rules.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records in relation to hush money payments he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
JUDGE DELAYS TRUMP'S HUSH-MONEY TRIAL AMID LAST-MINUTE EVIDENCE DUMP BY FEDS
Bragg's office urged Merchan do deny Trump's push for further delays in a filing last week. Prosecutors argue Trump's team is seeking to delay the trial for as long as possible, with an ultimate goal of pushing his legal battles past the November election.
TRUMP HOLDS SLIGHT EDGE OVER BIDEN IN CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND STATE: POLL
"Defendant's accusations of a discovery violation are a distraction from the only issue actually presented here, which is how this Court should respond to the late arrival of potentially relevant evidence from sources outside of the People's direction or control," Bragg wrote in last week's court filing.
"On that question, the appropriate remedy is the brief adjournment that this Court has already granted, which is more than enough time for the parties to review what the People now have good reason to believe is the limited number of relevant records in the USAO's recent productions. This Court should accordingly deny defendant's request for more extreme sanctions," the filing continued.
The new evidence is some 15,000 records produced by the Justice Department relating to its investigation of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who is serving as a star witness in the hush money case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said much of the material is unrelated to the state case against Trump. Federal prosecutors have already provided at least 104,000 pages of records — 74,000 of which initially went just to Bragg's office and not to Trump's lawyers.
Bragg's office has since turned over those 74,000 pages to the defense.
In the civil fraud case brought by the state attorney general's office, Monday is the end of the 30-day grace period Trump was given to post a $454 million appeal bond. If he fails to do so, Attorney General James can enforce the trial court's judgment against the former president and start seizing his property and/or assets.
Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report
Whistleblower claims CIA ‘stonewalled’ IRS interview with Hunter Biden ‘Sugar brother’ Kevin Morris: House GOP
A whistleblower claimed that the CIA "stonewalled" an IRS interview with Hunter Biden’s business associate Kevin Morris, the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees revealed.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a Thursday letter to CIA Director William Burns that their panels would investigate the allegations as part of the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
According to the whistleblower, in August 2021, when IRS investigators on the Hunter Biden federal investigation were preparing to interview Morris, the CIA "intervened to stop the interview."
The whistleblower alleged that the CIA summoned two Justice Department officials to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, for a briefing regarding Morris.
The whistleblower claimed that Morris "could not be a witness in the investigation," according to the House Republicans.
Morris loaned Hunter Biden approximately $6.5 million — over $1 million more than originally estimated and discussed — his attorney revealed in a letter earlier this year.
Morris, who was subpoenaed to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry, testified that he loaned Hunter Biden at least $5 million and began paying his tax liability. Morris and his attorney were estimating during the interview, a source told Fox News, and promised to follow-up with exact figures loaned to the first son. The attorney followed up to note an additional $1.6 million Morris had given Hunter Biden.
"As part of the impeachment inquiry, the Committees are investigating, among other things, whether President Biden 'abuse[d] his power as President to impede, obstruct, or otherwise hinder investigations or the prosecution of Hunter Biden.' As background, for years, the IRS and DOJ had been investigating Hunter Biden for tax crimes," Jordan and Comer wrote. "The Committees have documented how the DOJ deviated from its standard processes to afford preferential treatment to Hunter Biden."
Jordan and Comer were referring to whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler — investigators who served on the IRS team probing Hunter Biden. They testified that DOJ officials "deviated" from the normal process and provided preferential treatment to Hunter Biden.
"Among other deviations, DOJ officials restricted what investigative steps the investigators could pursue, tipped off Hunter Biden's attorneys about investigative steps, and even prevented investigators from conducting witness interviews," the House Republicans wrote. "The whistleblowers' testimony about the preferential treatment provided to Hunter Biden has been corroborated by testimony from other witnesses and documents the Committees have received."
Jordan and Comer said the new whistleblower claims "seem to corroborate our concerns about DOJ's deviations from standard process to provide Hunter Biden with preferential treatment."
"It is unknown why or on what basis the CIA allegedly intervened to prevent investigators from interviewing Mr. Morris," they wrote. "However, these allegations track with other evidence showing how the DOJ deviated from its standard investigative practices during the investigation of Hunter Biden."
Jordan and Comer are now demanding the CIA provide all documents and communications referring or relating to the DOJ and IRS’ investigation of Hunter Biden, and all records relating to Kevin Morris — "including but not limited to efforts to interview Mr. Morris as part of the investigation of Robert Hunter Biden."
HUNTER BIDEN LAWYER TESTIFIES THAT 1ST TRUMP IMPEACHMENT CREATED 'EMERGENCY' TO FILE UNPAID TAXES
Morris, on Oct. 13, 2021, gave Hunter Biden a loan for approximately $1.4 million. According to the letter, Hunter Biden was to repay the loan, with $500,000 paid by Oct. 1, 2026 and the remaining $417,634 by Oct. 1, 2027, plus interest.
A few days later, Morris loaned Hunter Biden $2.6 million, with directions to repay the loan by Oct. 1, 2029. That loan, according to Morris’ lawyer, "was used to pay, among other debts, Mr. Biden’s tax debt to the IRS."
On Oct. 17, 2022, Morris loaned Hunter Biden $640,355 to be repaid by Oct. 15, 2027. In December 2022, Morris loaned Hunter $685,813.99, to be repaid by Oct. 15, 2027.
A year later, Dec. 29, 2023, Morris loaned Hunter approximately $1.2 million to be repaid by Oct. 15, 2028, with all interest paid by October 2029.
Special Counsel David Weiss charged Hunter Biden with nine federal tax charges, which break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors for $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid.
Weiss charged Hunter in December, alleging a "four-year scheme" in which the president's son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports.
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Weiss also indicted the first son on federal gun charges in Delaware last year. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to those charges as well. His attorneys are attempting to have that case dismissed.
Top GOP lawmaker announces early exit, leaving Republicans with temporary one-seat majority
Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., chairman of the House select committee on China, announced he's leaving Congress on April 19, which will temporarily leave House Republicans with just a one-seat majority.
Gallagher revealed in February that he would not be running for a fifth term in the House, a shocking announcement for someone long considered a rising star within the Republican Party.
His early departure will mean that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only afford to lose one GOP lawmaker on any vote that falls along party lines. That will likely remain the case until June, when there's a special election to replace ex-Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio.
HOUSE PASSES $460 BILLION GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL BLASTED BY GOP HARDLINERS
A special election to replace ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is set to take place in May. McCarthy's former seat in California's 20th Congressional District is a safe red seat, so it's likely going to give Johnson a GOP win.
Before that, however, is an April 30 special election to replace Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., a longtime left-wing lawmaker who departed earlier this year. That election will likely see Democrats add to their tally, which would keep the House majority at one seat.
Republicans keeping McCarthy's seat and Democrats keeping Higgins' seat would keep the majority at one, which means the June 11 special election to replace Johnson in Ohio's 6th Congressional District is the GOP's first chance to regain some wiggle room.
"After conversations with my family, I have made the decision to resign my position as a member of the House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District, effective April 19, 2024," Gallagher said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T 'CALL THE SHOTS' ON WHEN IMPEACHMENT IS OVER
"I’ve worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline and look forward to seeing Speaker Johnson appoint a new chair to carry out the important mission of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. My office will continue to operate and provide constituent services to the Eighth District for the remainder of the term."
Gallagher announced his departure from Congress just after he experienced blowback from members of his own party for not voting to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Gallagher was one of three Republicans who voted against the measure.
It also prompted a primary threat — multiple outlets reported last month that Alex Bruesewitz, an ally of former President Donald Trump, was considering a challenge to Gallagher.
A source close to Bruesewitz told Fox News Digital on Friday that Bruesewitz is meeting with business leaders in Wisconsin's 8th Congressional district and is actively being recruited to run for the now open seat. The source said people in Trump's circle, as well as current House Republicans, are pushing Bruesewitz to run.
"If I run, I will win," the Trump ally said.
Bruesewitz is planning to announce his final decision the week of April 8, the source said.
The Washington Examiner reported last month that he's being endorsed by Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.; Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.; Jim Banks, R-Ind.; and Cory Mills, R-Fla.
House Judiciary Committee suing DOJ officials for testimony on Hunter Biden tax case
The House Judiciary Committee is suing Justice Department officials Mark Daly and Jack Morgan to enforce subpoenas for their testimony related to the Hunter Biden tax investigation as part of the broader House impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
Daly and Morgan were both involved in the Hunter Biden tax investigation and in early decisions not to prosecute, Republicans have alleged.
According to the lawsuit, "The Committee intends to ask Daly and Morgan about these decisions, including why they initially agreed with bringing charges for the 2014 and 2015 tax years, why they then reversed their opinion just a few months later, what additional (if any) information they received that changed their minds, and whether they were in any way pressured to change their views by other people inside or outside of DOJ, and if so, by whom."
The committee subpoenaed Daly and Morgan in September 2023 and February 2024, according to the lawsuit. However, the lawsuit says Daly and Morgan did not comply "because their employer, DOJ, directed them not to appear."
The suit names both men in their official capacity as DOJ employees.
The Justice Department told Fox News that it is "committed to working with Congress in good faith."
"We took the extraordinary step of making six supervisory employees available to testify on appropriate topics last year," a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News. "It is unfortunate that despite this extraordinary cooperation from senior DOJ officials, the Committee has decided, after waiting for months, to continue seeking to depose line prosecutors about sensitive information from ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions."
HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO TAX CHARGES BROUGHT BY SPECIAL COUNSEL DAVID WEISS
The DOJ spokesperson added, "We will continue to protect our line personnel and the integrity of their work."
The Justice Department said it will review the committee's filings "and respond in court."
House Republicans have been investigating whether politics played a role in prosecutorial decisions in the Hunter Biden investigation.
Special counsel David Weiss charged Hunter Biden in December, alleging a "four-year scheme" when the president's son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports.
Weiss filed the charges in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The charges break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid.
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Hunter Biden "engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020."
HOUSE COMMITTEES FORMALLY RECOMMEND TO HOLD HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS
Weiss said in "furtherance of that scheme," the younger Biden "subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company, Owasco, PC by withdrawing millions" from the company "outside of the payroll and tax withholding process that it was designed to perform."
The special counsel alleged that Hunter Biden "spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills," and that in 2018, he "stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015."
Weiss alleged that Hunter Biden "willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes," and that he "willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time."
IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler said the tax charges against Hunter Biden were a "complete vindication" of their yearslong investigation into the president’s son.
IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler approached Congress earlier this year, alleging that prosecutorial decisions made throughout the federal investigation into the president’s son were impacted by politics.
Shapley, Ziegler and other IRS officials who testified before Congress, including Michael Batdorf, have said they were frustrated that the Justice Department did not charge Hunter Biden for failing to pay federal income tax for 2014 and 2015. They alleged that Weiss had allowed the statute of limitations to expire for tax charges against Hunter Biden from 2014 and 2015 in Washington, D.C.
Shapley, who led the IRS portion of the probe, said that Hunter Biden should have been charged with tax evasion for 2014, and for filing false tax returns for 2018 and 2019. With regard to the 2014 tax returns, Shapley said that Hunter Biden did not report income from Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings.
Fox News Digital first reported in December 2020 that Hunter Biden did not report "approximately $400,000" in income he collected from his position on the board of Burisma Holdings when he joined in 2014.
Marjorie Taylor Greene files motion to oust Speaker Johnson
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told reporters on Friday that she filed a motion to vacate House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., accusing him of having "betrayed" the "confidence" of the House GOP Conference by ushering through a bipartisan $1.2 trillion federal funding bill to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Johnson won the gavel in late October after his predecessor was ousted by a motion to vacate resolution earlier that month.
"It's more of a warning and a pink slip," Greene told reporters after filing the motion. "There’s not a time limit on this, it doesn’t have to be forced... But I'm not saying that it won't happen in two weeks, or it won't happen."
HOUSE PASSES $460 BILLION GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL BLASTED BY GOP HARDLINERS
Earlier, while the House was voting on the package, three GOP lawmakers on the House floor told Fox News Digital that Greene made the consequential move.
During the vote, Fox News Digital witnessed Greene sign a paper at the front of the chamber and pass it off to House staff. Her office has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Johnson's office told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Speaker Johnson always listens to the concerns of members, but is focused on governing. He will continue to push conservative legislation that secures our border, strengthens our national defense, and demonstrates how we'll grow our majority."
Greene filing a motion to vacate does not necessarily require a vote, as was the case with ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., being booted. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., had filed a "privileged resolution" to oust McCarthy in early October, meaning House leaders were forced to act on it within two legislative days.
Greene's motion is not privileged, so there is nothing forcing the House to take it up unless she acts. Former Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., made a similar move with ex-Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in 2015 though Boehner stepped down before the motion could be acted on.
Even so, it would likely have to wait – Congress is leaving Washington on Friday for a two-week recess.
Fox News Digital heard from a fourth GOP lawmaker on Friday morning who believed Greene would be filing the motion. When asked why they thought so, the lawmaker said Greene "went in" with McCarthy as an ally and "got burned by the base" of conservative voters. "She's trying to redeem herself," they added.
HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T 'CALL THE SHOTS' ON WHEN IMPEACHMENT IS OVER
In her remarks to reporters on Friday, Greene blasted Johnson for the massive $1.2 trillion spending deal, calling it "a dream and a wish list for Democrats and for the White House."
"I respect our conference. I paid all my dues to my conference. I'm a member in good standing and I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference. But this is basically a warning for us to go through the process, take our time, and find a new speaker of the House that will stand with Republicans," Greene said.
Rank-and-file GOP lawmakers like Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., blasted the Georgia firebrand's move. "I think it's not only idiotic, but it actually does not do anything to advance the conservative movement. And in fact, it undermines the country and our majority," Lawler told reporters.
A vote on vacating the chair would likely occur after a motion to table the resolution or referring it to committee – procedural steps that would essentially kill the move.
If the procedural votes failed, then the House would have to vote on whether to actually oust Johnson.
Johnson would only be able to lose two Republican lawmakers' support if all Democrats voted against him – which may not be the case.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., told multiple outlets he would vote to save Johnson. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., suggested similarly on X, writing, "I do not support Speaker Johnson but I will never stand by and let MTG to take over the people’s House."
House passes $1.2T government spending bill to avert government shutdown
The House of Representatives narrowly passed a $1.2 trillion federal spending package along bipartisan lines on Friday, taking a step closer to averting a partial government shutdown at midnight.
The legislation was expedited onto the House floor via suspension of the rules, which bypasses procedural hurdles in exchange for raising the threshold for passage from a simple majority to two-thirds. It passed by a 286 to 134 vote.
More Republicans voted against the bill than for it – 112 GOP lawmakers opposed the bill and 106 voted for it. Just 22 Democrats voted against it.
HOUSE PASSES $460 BILLION GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL BLASTED BY GOP HARDLINERS
The package, comprised of six appropriations bills that account for roughly 70% of discretionary government spending, was unveiled around 3 a.m. on Thursday night. It is aimed at funding the government through the remainder of fiscal year 2024, which ends Sept. 30.
It puts Congress one step closer to ending a monthslong war that has spurred historic levels of dysfunction within the House GOP's razor-thin majority.
The bill is aimed at funding the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Education, Health & Human Services and the legislative branch.
Both Republican and Democratic negotiators walked away declaring victory on striking a deal – Johnson touted cuts to funding for non-governmental organizations, a 6% cut to overall foreign aid funds, and policies like banning the State Department from flying non-official flags at diplomatic facilities.
Democrats cheered the exclusion of enforcement measures of the House GOP’s H.R.2 border security bill – something conservatives demanded in order to fund the Department of Homeland Security – as well as increased federal child care funding and a $1 billion increase for climate and green energy programs.
Both GOP hardliners and rank-and-file conservatives panned the bill for its exclusion of those border enforcement measures.
HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T 'CALL THE SHOTS' ON WHEN IMPEACHMENT IS OVER
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., normally a reliable vote for GOP leaders, posted on X ahead of the package's consideration, "I have a real problem with giving the Biden Administration more money without changes to his border policy. I will not fund his reckless agenda that includes the transportation & housing of more illegal immigrants, including criminals, in New York City & across America."
Conservatives were also livid that the House got less than 48 hours to review the bill before the final vote, accusing GOP leaders of violating an earlier promise to give members at least 72 hours to review the bill's text. Johnson's office blamed the White House for dragging out negotiations.
Speaker Mike Johnson's handling of the bill prompted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to file a motion to oust him from leadership – though she told reporters afterward it was more of a "warning."
The package did score support from conservative groups like FreedomWorks and Americans for Tax Reform, industry groups, veterans' groups like With Honor Action, and pro-Israel organizations.
It now heads to the Senate, which must act before midnight to avert a partial government shutdown.