Johnson faces conservative blowback over latest spending patch

Johnson, during a conference call Sunday night, defended the two-tier plan that would set another pair of short-term funding deadlines for March 1 and March 8. He also reiterated Republicans’ view that their sweeping immigration bill that passed last year is their starting point for any border talks.

But that did little to quell immediate pushback from hardline conservatives, who have argued for Johnson to shut down the government without border concessions.

“Enough with the continuing resolutions. We’ve had plenty of time to address funding levels. Congress keeps punting this while our southern border remains a mess and our national debt continues to surge. We are doing the American people a disservice,” said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.).

Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) pressed Johnson during the call if there was a plan to counter the Senate’s forthcoming border-foreign aid deal, while Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), another Freedom Caucus member, asked Johnson if he was going to tie the House’s border bill to government funding, according to two sources on the call.

Already a handful of House Republicans have said they would oppose a continuing resolution (CR) with that number likely to grow into the dozens this week. Ninety three Republicans voted against his two-tier spending plan last year and amid fierce backlash Johnson promised conservatives at the time that he wouldn’t use another short-term spending patch.

House Republicans are “planning to pass a short-term spending bill continuing Pelosi levels with Biden policies, to buy time to pass longer-term spending bills at Pelosi levels with Biden policies. This is what surrender looks like,” the Freedom Caucus
said on Sunday night about the stopgap plan.

But other members pushed back against the idea that the push for border policy at the cost of shutting the government down was not tactically sound.

“That position might make for a good soundbite but it’s strategic incompetence. We have two possible leverage points to get border security: our own budget, or Ukraine aid. You’d rather hold hostage our own troops’ pay? Or hold hostage Ukraine aid?” Rep. Dan Crewshaw (R-Texas) said in a statement to POLITICO.