House Speaker Mike Johnson relied on Democrats again to pass another short-term funding measure to keep the government open, but this time even fewer Republicans voted in favor of the legislation.
Among the 106 Republicans who bucked the speaker on Thursday — 13 more than the last stopgap in November — were key lawmakers in positions of power in the House GOP, including House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, New York Republican and a member of the speaker’s leadership team.
Ms. Stefanik told The Washington Times in a statement that she had concerns about how the stopgap did not address issues with an influx of migrants in her “northern border district,” which is why she voted against the measure.
“I know the speaker is working tirelessly to secure the border in the next funding package,” she said of the Louisiana Republican.
But Ms. Stefanik’s defection, along with a slew of committee chairs like Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, Texas Republican, and Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, Tennessee Republican, signal a rocky path forward for Mr. Johnson.
Complicating matters for Mr. Johnson is the GOP’s razor-thin majority and how far-right conservatives have used that tenuous grip on power to steer the speaker toward shutting down the government and rejecting a spending deal with Democrats.
SEE ALSO: Conservative warns Speaker Johnson: Don’t count on votes from House Freedom Caucus
Rep. Patrick McHenry, North Carolina Republican, told reporters that Mr. Johnson should not allow the “loudest members” of the House GOP dictate his next moves.
“The speaker should seek wider council than the loudest people who line up for the queue and should think strategically about what is best for the majority,” Mr. McHenry said. “You’ve got to think much more strategically than how we’ve approached it in the last three months.”
The speaker’s struggles come as frustrated lawmakers have floated the option of ousting him over his handling of spending issues. He is also being judged on whether he stands firm on forcing the White House and Democratic-led Senate to include more stringent border policies in President Biden’s supplemental spending request for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, said her red line on filing a motion to vacate — the same move used to boot former Speaker Kevin McCarthy — is whether Mr. Johnson puts the Ukraine funding in the president’s spending package ahead of border security.
“Let’s face it, Israel is handling the war very well on their own. … That’s impressive,” Ms. Greene said. “Ukraine’s over, but the real crisis is our border.”
Mr. Johnson rejected pleas from Mr. Biden to take some concessions on border policy in exchange for Ukraine aid, signaling that he is heeding the threats from far-right conservatives floating his ouster.
When pressed on whether she believed Mr. Johnson would bring the Senate’s deal to the House floor, Ms. Greene said she didn’t think he would.
“I think I’m making it very clear to him,” she said.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.