Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene issued an ominous warning for House Speaker Mike Johnson should he move forward with a lengthy stopgap measure aimed at preventing a shutdown and keeping the government into the spring.
"The Christmas CR lump of coal comes with a warning. Beware the Ides of March.." said Greene in a post on her X account, a reference to the warning given to Roman emperor Julius Caesar in the eponymous Shakespeare play regarding the date in which he would be assassinated.
She is not the only one to show fierce opposition to the bill. It has been dubbed the "Cramnibus" by the House Freedom Caucus and one of its members, Rep. Andy Ogles, said it could prompt a leadership challenge next month, according to the POLITICO Playbook. Moderate Republican Nicole Malliotakis said she could also vote against it, the outlet added.
Johnson, who has previously criticized omnibus bills and pledged to avoid such practices, denied the legislation falls into this category. He added it will put the party to "put our fingerprints on what those final spending bills are" next year.
The Christmas CR lump of coal comes with a warning.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 18, 2024
Beware the Ides of March..
The fate of the bill will probably be known soon, as Congress has until Friday night to prevent a shutdown. This one would extend funding until March 14, giving the incoming, Republican-controlled Congress some time to agree on new spending bills.
Coming at about 1,500 pages, the bill includes some $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in assistance to farmers. Lawmakers only have 72 hours to review the legislation before it makes it to the floor, but they might have even less as voting needs to take place before Friday night.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a release on Tuesday night saying he was "pleased these negotiations led to a bipartisan government funding agreement free of cuts and poison pills, while also securing Democratic priorities like millions for child care, workforce training and job placement, assistance for the Key Bridge rebuild, additional disaster relief funding and more."
However, the bill passing with Democratic support could spell trouble for Johnson in the future considering the aforementioned warnings. Republican Rep. Chip Roy, who sits on the Rules Committee, said after the GOP conference meeting that lawmakers should be able to amend and debate legislation before voting on it.
"We get this negotiated crap and we're forced to eat this crap sandwich," Roy said. "Why? Because freaking Christmas is right around the corner. It's the same dang thing every year — legislate by crisis, legislate by calendar, not legislate because it's the right thing to do," he said. The increased opposition from Republicans means Johnson will most likely need Democratic support to prevent a shutdown.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said the negotiation is a "lesson for Speaker Johnson." "Let's find solutions, let's tune out the most extreme voices in your conference, and let's find that consensus that will be necessary to fund government."
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