Hardline conservatives are ramping up pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson to walk away from a topline spending deal struck with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a move that threatens to derail bipartisan negotiations with Congress just days from a partial government shutdown.

GOP hardliners, who want deep funding cuts, expressed optimism after meeting with Johnson on Thursday that the speaker could revise the agreement, which would set spending at close to $1.66 trillion overall – but the Louisiana Republican was quick to say that he has made no commitment to back off the deal.

The fury from conservatives, and their effort to tank the deal, underscores the major challenge facing Johnson as he attempts to steer his extremely narrow majority ahead of a shutdown deadline next Friday. If Johnson were to walk away from the topline agreement, that would create a massive breach of trust with the Senate and could put Congress on a path to a shutdown.

  • Flying Squid
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    279 months ago

    Except lots and lots of people will suffer.

    • peopleproblems
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      169 months ago

      Of course. They don’t care.

      Unfortunately for them, the people suffering will be constituents and things will change until the suffering stops. How much it changes and how frequently is determined by how bad it gets.

    • @gAlienLifeform
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      109 months ago

      You could say that about passing the Republicans’ funding cuts too, tho

      • Flying Squid
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        79 months ago

        Sure, but I don’t cheer those on either.

        • @gAlienLifeform
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          59 months ago

          Fair enough, I’m just saying the question of whether to say “fuck it” or not is at least a bit nuanced

    • @[email protected]
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      fedilink
      89 months ago

      Yeah, many people would literally die and millions if not tens of millions would suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives.