CaliToday (16/11/2025): Johnson tells Fox Business his conference is "pushing the rock up the hill" to pass all 12 spending bills via "regular order," aiming to prevent a "political spectacle" when funding expires.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) issued a stark warning that Democrats may attempt to force another government shutdown in late January when temporary funding expires, but vowed that Republicans are aggressively working to "disarm" them of that political "weapon."
Appearing on Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria," Johnson addressed the looming fiscal deadline. Host Maria Bartiromo asked if he expected "another spectacle" from the left when the stopgap budget measure known as a Continuing Resolution (CR) runs out.
"I wouldn't put anything past Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and the Democrats," Johnson responded, indicating he believes another shutdown is a distinct possibility.
However, the Speaker insisted that House Republicans are not waiting to react. Instead, they are on offense, working to "take that weapon away from them" by systematically completing the full budget process, which has been neglected in Washington for years.
A Return to "Regular Order"
Johnson explained that the recent passage of a three-bill "minibus" (a package of spending bills) was only the first step. The ultimate goal is to pass all 12 individual appropriation bills, a process known as "regular order."
This method stands in sharp contrast to Washington's recent habit of funding the government through massive, last-minute "omnibus" bills, which lump all 12 bills into one enormous package, often forcing members to vote on it with little time for review.
"We're going to keep pushing more of these bills to get us back to regular order, something that Washington has forgotten about for a long time," Johnson said.
"Pushing the Rock Up the Hill"
Johnson, who took the gavel two years ago amid party turmoil, framed his efforts as an uphill battle against the status quo.
"Since I've been Speaker... I've been pushing the rock up the hill to try to force Washington back into a process of fiscal discipline," he stated. He characterized the successful passage of the first three individual bills as a "major breakthrough" in that fight.
The Speaker expressed his expectation to complete all 12 appropriation bills before the January deadline. By doing so, he argued, the GOP would "eliminate the opportunity for the Democrats to cause another government shutdown to play their power games," effectively neutralizing the threat of a fiscal cliff by having the budget work finished ahead of time.