U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says that he is sticking with the government spending deal that he has reached with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY).
Johnson is doing so despite the heavy criticism that he has received for the deal from some of his fellow House Republicans.
The Hill reports that the House speaker made a public statement on the matter on Friday, and it was in this statement that Johnson indicated that, despite the criticism, he plans on sticking with the spending agreement.
"After weeks of hard-fought negotiations, we achieved a strong top-line agreement that allows our appropriations committee and all those who work on this to complete the appropriations process. It’s an important part of keeping the government running," Johnson told members of the press on Friday.
He added, "Our topline agreement remains. We are getting our next steps together, and we are working toward a robust appropriations process. So stay tuned for all that."
Johnson, following this brief statement, did not take any questions from the press.
Most of the criticism that Johnson has been receiving comes from the House Freedom Caucus.
Fox News reports, "The conservative House Freedom Caucus led the revolt against Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s agreement on Sunday evening, recirculating a late December memo that said any funding topline higher than $1.59 trillion would be 'totally unacceptable.'"
In addition to the memo, the House Freedom Caucus also posted a message on X in which they called the spending agreement a "total failure."
"Don’t believe the spin. Once you break through typical Washington math, the true total programmatic spending level is $1.658 trillion — not $1.59 trillion," the group wrote.
Although Johnson appeared resolute during his statement on Friday, some believe that he has not settled on the agreement - that he is still considering alternatives.
House Freedom Caucus Bob Good (R-VA) said, "Well, he has not rescinded it yet. But I am quite certain he is legitimately considering alternatives."
Johnson's final decision on the matter should be forthcoming as he is trying to avoid a government shutdown and some agencies are currently scheduled to shut down on Jan. 19. 2024.
"The pedal's to the metal. We have the top-line agreement. This allows us to fight for our policy priorities, for our policy riders now. And our appropriators are resolute on doing that," Johnson said last week.
