Staff Reports
House Speaker Mike Johnson has made it clear that the Republican-controlled Congress is unlikely to pass any new spending bills this fiscal year, and who can blame them? With the Democrats throwing around demands that would make a Hollywood diva blush, it’s no wonder funding negotiations are dragging their feet. After all, the previous Congress, which creatively balanced a Republican house with a Democratic Senate, managed to pass two stopgap funding bills last year. Those bills extended the fiscal 2024 funding levels into 2025, which began October 1st. So, when Democrats claim they’re being reasonable, it’s worth taking a closer look—a fact that seems to evade their reasoning.
The deadline for the latest stopgap looms large on March 14, and Mr. Johnson is actively brushing off the idea of a third extension, which is sounding more and more like an inevitable reality. In his view, the Democrats are effectively waving their arms and shouting “shutdown” while insisting on limiting executive authority. They think it’s a genius move to try and tie the president’s hands, but the reality is that such unreasonable conditions show their true colors.
Speaker Johnson: Another stopgap funding bill ‘becoming inevitable’ given ‘unreasonable’ Democratshttps://t.co/uRY0T89u2G pic.twitter.com/Td92Ip0NnF
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) February 27, 2025
It appears that the Democrats have set their sights on restricting how President Trump manages funding—specifically trying to reign in his ability to allocate resources and hire or fire workers as he sees fit. According to Johnson, their demands are not just inappropriate; they’re verging on unconstitutional. Can you imagine trying to dictate how many employees a federal agency must hire? They might as well just hand over the entire budget to a five-year-old child in a candy store.
The Democrats, who seem to have developed a newfound love for the constitutional separation of powers, are claiming that their goal is all about protecting Congress’s purse strings. Meanwhile, many Republicans are likely snickering at the irony—especially when they see that the very “power of the purse” has been wielded like a toddler’s plastic sword. They appear to be ignoring a key reality: the executive branch always holds the discretion to decide how resources are allocated, not the legislative branch. This is basic civics, folks. The Republicans are standing firm in saying that it’s not Congress’s job to micromanage the executive branch while maintaining its own mandate.
The Democrats, ever vocal, are expressing their unwillingness to agree to another funding extension that resembles a year-long truce. Sen. Patty Murray has firmly stated she will not endorse any bill extending through the end of the fiscal year and is adamant about pushing for a bipartisan approach in future fiscal 2025 funding efforts. In an astonishing twist, she even claims she’s not walking away from the negotiation table—results of which seem to be coming up shorter than the Democrats’ grasp on fiscal responsibility.
Just to add a cherry on top of this budgetary sundae, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins has also chimed in, waving her own flag of opposition to a year-long continuing resolution. When questioned about Johnson’s concerns, she was quick to dismiss his thoughts as not aligning with her own. With bipartisan cooperation looking about as likely as a unicorn sighting, it’s safe to say both parties better buckle up and prepare for another rocky road ahead in the coming months.
In conclusion, if Congress does decide to pass another stopgap extension, it risks being the “cleanest” CR possible. But who knows? Maybe it’ll lead to a budgetary miracle. For now, it’s all about navigating the madness of negotiations while the Democrats continue to put the brakes on any reasonable fiscal responsibility.
