McCarthy's “final stand” could hurt Johnson's shutdown fight

Nearly 11 months have passed since former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's historic downfall in October 2023. Now, his successor, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, is navigating the same thorny web of politics over government funding that was one of McCarthy's “final battles,” but it's not yet clear whether he will suffer the same fate.

House Republicans are preparing for a full House meeting on Wednesday where Johnson is expected to unveil a plan to avert a government shutdown before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

The plan, supported by former President Donald Trump, would combine it with Republican legislation that would extend current fiscal year government funding levels through March and require proof of citizenship as part of the voter registration process, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.

But at least three House Republicans who spoke to Fox News Digital said they wouldn't vote for a short-term measure known as a continuing resolution, while others questioned the wisdom of spending weeks of session before the election on a bill that would almost certainly die in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Harris was “positive” about adding seats to the Supreme Court during the 2019 presidential election.

But conservative members of Congress and many of Trump's allies strongly support the plan.

“Certainly conservatives, spending hawks, and frankly Republicans who don't want to hand power to Democrats and one-party rule in December, want to push spending back until the new year,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) explained to Fox News Digital. “You can certainly benefit from pushing it back until March, and then we should have a heated debate about whether we should make it clear that it's only citizens who are voting.”

Five Democrats joined Republicans in voting to pass the Protect American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act earlier this year, but it has since stalled in the Senate and is opposed by the White House.

But Roy was also part of a failed effort last year to pass a conservative border security bill that was a companion to House Republicans' flagship border security bill, which was similarly panned by Democratic leaders.

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The CR was rejected in late September, mainly due to the opposition of 21 Republican senators who opposed the CR in principle.

McCarthy was then forced to introduce a “clean” budget extension bill on the House floor just hours before the partial government shutdown on October 1, which later led to his public ouster by eight House Republicans.

Asked if he was concerned about history repeating itself, Roy said, “I had good friends last year who were on both sides of that divide. But I think there's one big difference: President Trump has publicly called on us to fight.”

Rep. Chip Roy is one of the leading advocates of a conservative CR plan. (Getty Images)

Speaking on Monica Crowley's podcast earlier this week, President Trump urged House Republicans to use the government shutdown to pass the SAVE Act and make CR a reality.

Moreover, November's House elections are expected to be close in many key districts and could be Republicans' last chance to push through conservative priorities before Democrats retake control of the House.

But the Senate or White House are unlikely to adopt the bill, and the possibility of a government shutdown just before Election Day could put those same vulnerable Republicans in a bind.

“Whether it passes the House or not, the people who are pushing for the inclusion of the SAVE Act know that, or they don't. I don't know which is worse,” a senior House Republican told Fox News Digital.

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But Roy suggested he wasn't worried about a possible government shutdown, arguing that voters “don't really care” about the politics of government funding.

Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee similarly said he was “concerned that the election was stolen…the traditional media is making this shutdown worse than it is.”

Meanwhile, like last year's conservative CR, it's unclear whether the spending amendment will have enough support among Republicans to pass.

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), the final-term member of the House Freedom Caucus who voted against the conservative Republican caucus and for McCarthy's removal last year, has already come out in opposition to the plan.

“It would be disingenuous and dishonest to do that because no member of Congress believes that attaching the SAVE Act to CR will get the SAVE Act passed,” Rosendale, who has never supported CR, told Fox News Digital.

Former President Donald Trump is pressuring House Republicans to take advantage of the government shutdown. (Ian Mole/Getty Images)

He also said the play violates House Republican leadership's single-issue bill pledge.

But he did not say whether he supported Johnson's expulsion over the matter.

“I think people continue to do the same thing hoping for a different outcome, because it's just different people doing the same thing,” Rosendale said.

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When pressed repeatedly about Johnson, Rosendale said, “There are a lot of people who are happy to comment on other members and the leadership. All I know is what I'm going to do.”

Burchett, another anti-McCarthy figure, said he would “lean toward supporting” CR but wouldn't say for sure.

But he said there was no risk of Mr Johnson being ousted, adding that there was “a lot else going on” before the “final fight” over McCarthy's spending.

McCarthy did not respond to an interview request from Fox News Digital, and Johnson's office declined to comment publicly on CR.