Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., put down a revolt inside his own conference on Tuesday, pushing through a procedural rule vote that clears the way for the House to debate a resolution condemning socialism.
The fight had nothing to do with socialism or the other bills teed up for votes this week. It was a protest by House conservatives over how leadership handled a short-term government funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, meant to avert a shutdown before the midterm elections.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, made his objection public on X: “NO ON CR. NO ON RULE THAT DOES NOT ALLOW US TO AMEND AND FIX THE CR: The House of Representatives will be voting for a government funding continuing resolution TODAY that FAILS to deliver on common-sense policies for the American people.”
House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., told reporters he too would vote against the rule to protest the CR.
The complaints centered on changes the Senate made to the House-passed funding bill. Senators tacked on a 30-day delay to a congressionally approved ban on hemp products and added a provision limiting the Trump administration’s control over federal grants.
“The Senate did violence to our bill,” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “Hemp and the grants are the two big ones…and frankly, I just don’t think CRs ought to be on suspension…when you put it on suspension, you’re not asking for my vote, okay, you’re going to get Democrats.”
Roy also faulted the bill for failing to cut off funding to sanctuary jurisdictions or to abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood.
The CR itself was being voted on under “suspension of the rules,” a fast-track process that requires a two-thirds majority instead of a simple majority but skips most procedural hurdles. That means the outcome of the rule vote had no bearing on whether the CR itself would pass or fail — the rebellion was symbolic, aimed at leadership rather than at the funding bill’s fate.
The CR under consideration would extend government funding to a Dec. 11 deadline, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate a full-year budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.
Rule votes have historically been party-line affairs, and until recently it was almost unheard of for members of the majority to side with the opposition to sink one. That has changed in recent years, particularly among conservative Republicans who have turned rule votes into a routine tool for pressuring their own leadership.
Despite the threats, Johnson secured enough votes Tuesday to advance the rule, keeping the anti-socialism resolution and the rest of this week’s floor agenda on track.
