(The Center Square) – House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has unveiled the text of a Continuing Resolution that would fund the federal government before it shuts down Friday.
The spending measure funds the government through March 14, early in President-elect Donald Trump’s term.
The bill contains a laundry list of specific provisions like over $100 billion in disaster relief, $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers on top of disaster relief allocated specifically for farmers, a pay raise for lawmakers, and $8 billion to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore which was destroyed by a ship crashing into it earlier this year.
The bill took fire Wednesday from the likes of billionaire Elon Musk, now a close advisor to President-elect Donald Trump.
“Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?” Musk wrote Wednesday morning alongside a picture of the bill printed out.
Republican leadership opted for a short-term spending measure to allow Trump to set his own spending agenda in March instead of pushing for a full year’s worth of spending as with many past continuing resolutions.
Several Republicans immediately expressed frustration with the C.R., meaning Johnson will almost certainly need Democratic votes in the House to get it across the finish line.
“The first 9 pages of this Continuing Resolution are all we need to keep the government open,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. “The other 1,500+ pages are a handbook on how the government plans to waste your tax dollars for a bit.”
Notably, Johnson will need those same conservative votes to remain speaker in the upcoming vote to either continue his tenure or replace him. Johnson has so far managed to navigate treacherous waters in a divided Republican party.
“This is not a continuing resolution—it’s an omnibus,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., wrote on X Wednesday morning. “And for all the garbage shoved in this cramnibus, there is nothing to prohibit the sale of border wall material. This is shameful.”