Staff Reports
Newt Gingrich recently labeled the Biden administration’s attempt to jam a stopgap spending bill through Congress as its “last stand,” and it’s hard not to chuckle at the spectacle. Congress managed to kick the can down the road just in time to avoid a government shutdown, passing a continuing resolution that will keep the lights on until March 14. If there were any suspense in this drama, it was soon overshadowed by a deflated old order that Biden seems to have presided over like a puppet on strings—strings that were cut last Friday.
Yes, Speaker Mike Johnson and President-elect Donald Trump emerged from this brawl looking like heavyweights, while the rest of the Democratic circus was largely notable by their absence. Gingrich certainly didn’t hold back when suggesting that Biden was as elusive as a shadow, flitting away from the responsibility of leadership. In the face of an impending shutdown, one would think the president might summon the courage to rally his party or offer some real leadership. Instead, it seems the man was nowhere to be found, as his administration floundered under the weight of its own bureaucratic mess.
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich discussed the passage of the new government spending bill this morning with Maria Bartiromo:
"I think the bill we saw initially, the 1500-page bill, was the last stand of the Biden old order establishment.
"Because Trump and Musk intervened, that… pic.twitter.com/IZKFbdX2Yd
— Paul Villarreal (AKA Vince Manfeld) (@AureliusStoic1) December 22, 2024
The former Speaker subjected the bloated, once-1500-page bill to some harsh critique, highlighting that it took some serious chopping to get it down to a more palatable 136 pages. From Gingrich’s point of view, this legislative maneuver proved that working closely with Trump isn’t cause for scorn—it’s the necessary path out of the swamp. Who could possibly argue against streamlining an unwieldy and excessive bill that most Americans would take a decade to read? If the Democrats are so keen on governing, perhaps they should learn to edit.
During the debacle, a failed attempt to push through a larger bill on Thursday encountered significant pushback, especially from none other than Trump and Elon Musk—the duo that managed to send shivers down the spines of the left. Gingrich highlighted that Johnson’s navigation through these choppy waters adhered to a constitutional process, casting the more liberal leads as relics of the past who desperately tried to cling to power. With the old guard’s last desperate attempt foiled, the scene is slowly being set for a true conservative resurgence.
Despite this victory in the House, it wasn’t without some Republican dissent. A hefty 34 Republican representatives and 11 senators decided to swim against the tide, while every single Democrat danced happily in favor of the bill. Miraculously, even with a slim majority, the GOP must prepare to unify; Gingrich has called for a vow of solidarity for the next stopgap measure. With the fragile margins ahead, one could only hope that the party can find a unifying principle that doesn’t involve circling the wagons while facing opposition from a chorus of donkeys. It’s time for the GOP to rally, recalibrate, and prepare for a robust counteroffensive against a presidency that seems to be more about surviving than thriving.
