Can Jim Jordan's govt. shutdown avoidance plan secure votes on Wednesday as House Speaker?

Jim Jordan, the Republican House Speaker nominee and the well-known conservative figure from Ohio, has put forward an unconventional strategy to avert a looming government shutdown on November 17. While his proposal has garnered mixed reactions among his fellow Republican colleagues, it centers around the idea of passing a stopgap bill to maintain funding under existing law beyond April. This, Jordan argues, would trigger an across-the-board 1% reduction in government spending, as mandated by a recent debt-limit law.

Jordan's rationale is that Democrats would be compelled to deactivate the automatic cuts swiftly, making them more amenable to accommodating GOP demands.

Republican Representative Ralph Norman, a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, expressed support for the plan, emphasizing its potential as leverage and the need to take action promptly.

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He said, "And I think he’ll get that. And I’ve been against [continuing resolutions]! But we got 31 days. I mean, time’s running out. We got to look forward."

However, not all Republicans share this view. Some argue that passing another continuing resolution (CR), which typically represents short-term funding on autopilot, is a flawed approach. They prefer to pass full funding bills individually, aiming for the opportunity to implement more significant spending cuts. Representative Mike Garcia, for instance, voiced his dissent, asserting the necessity of passing comprehensive funding bills rather than relying on CRs.

Representative Matt Gaetz echoed this sentiment, stating, "I prefer to not be governed by a continuing resolution. I think we should put a demand on the Senate to pass our single-subject spending bills."

One notable challenge facing Jordan's proposal is that due to a peculiarity in the automatic cuts, the Defense Department's budget would experience more substantial reductions compared to nonmilitary funding. This could potentially alienate military hawks within Jordan's party, leading to intra-party divisions and undermining the effort to pressure Democrats into compliance.

Representative Tom Massie, the author of the 1% cut provision, has been a vocal advocate for Jordan's plan. He emphasized that Joe Biden had already signed into law the reductions as part of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and if the government remains on a CR in April, the 1% cut would be applied for the entire year starting on October 1.

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In an interview, Jordan passionately made his case for the plan, emphasizing the need for a "strong" message from the House to both the Senate and President Biden. He argued that implementing the 1% cut would serve as a powerful incentive for lawmakers to focus on passing the 12 appropriation bills, reminding them of their responsibility.

Even within the Republican party, there are differing views on this proposal. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example, expressed a willingness to consider a stopgap bill as long as it included policy conditions and wasn't a "clean" measure. She underlined the importance of addressing underlying issues rather than prolonging the cycle of temporary solutions.

Despite skepticism among some Republicans regarding short-term bills, Jim Jordan's strong conservative reputation provides him with more credibility in presenting the idea to right-wing skeptics. Representative Kevin Hern, the chair of the Republican Study Committee, acknowledged the strength of Jordan's conservative track record, which has broadened his appeal among conservative lawmakers.

Hern stated, "He wants to hit the ground running and get as many [appropriations bills] done as possible between now and November 17. And everyone that’s been around this place for any length of time knows we’re going to have to have a CR to continue that work."

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