The continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress Wednesday was not a victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson as much as it was a necessity on a couple of fronts. It allows House Republicans to continue to enact meaningful spending cuts; and it also gives Johnson a chance to show what he can do. That's the take from Brandon Arnold, executive vice president of the National Taxpayers Union.
"It buys us more time to actually get our appropriations bill done – and that's what I think Speaker Johnson has prioritized," Arnold said on American Family Radio Thursday. "We need to give him the benefit of the doubt here."
He continued: "I know there's a lot of skepticism already, and a lot of people are frustrated about this continuing resolution, but I think he was elected Speaker for a reason. We need to give him a chance to lead, to pass these appropriations bills, and start to tackle this enormous debt problem the country has," Arnold told show host Jenna Ellis.
The CR requires that some appropriations bills be passed by Jan. 19, the others by Feb. 2. The two-step measure – uncommon, but not unheard of – helps House Republicans avoid the big omnibus spending packages with little debate to which they've become accustomed as the Christmas break approaches.
According to Arnold, it beats the alternative: a shutdown – which benefits liberals.
"Nobody likes these spending patches, but the fact of the matter is, they're better than a government shutdown," he argued.
"Every time we've had a government shutdown in the past, conservatives have lost out – and that's because the media, of course, is stacked against us. They are ready and waiting with all sorts of news stories about how this government shutdown is impacting everybody from veterans to children to small businesses … you name it. They put pressure on conservatives, and eventually we break," Arnold said.
Much of government work does indeed continue during a shutdown, but Republicans who downplay the significance of a shutdown are those who have no reelection worries, the NTU spokesman said.
Elections aside, shutdowns are not an effective strategy for Republicans, according to Arnold. He explained there are financial considerations for workers who receive special pay in addition to regular pay once operations resume.
"A lot of people who say that are from ruby red districts who all have their constituents firmly at their back," Arnold said. But the landscape is different in other places – "and we need Republicans from purple districts if we want to have the majority and not turn over the Speakership to the Democrats."
Good stuff in these appropriations bills
Arnold also pointed out the CR gives Republicans time to pass some impressive legislation.
"It's about picking your hill to die on, and that certainly is not over the continuing resolution," Arnold said. "The big fights are going to be over these appropriations bills.
"They make tens of billions of dollars in cuts to existing programs relative to last fiscal year. They prevent [President Joe] Biden from creating this expanded IRS with the ability to take over the tax-filing process. They reign in the Federal Trade Commission, which has been an absolute renegade agency. There's a lot of really good stuff in there."
Arnold said the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy created a false sense of success for some party hardliners.
"People got the impression that, 'Hey, we can get everything we want.' [But] that's never the case when you're in a legislative body of 435 members. These bills are never going to be perfect. You have to make some concessions," he said.
