DORAL, Fla. — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a Tuesday interview with The Hill’s Emily Brooks floated the possibility of working with Democrats to raise the debt ceiling instead of including it in the GOP's reconciliation package, which Republicans hope to pass in a party-line vote.
“No final decision yet, but part of the decision matrix is that we're looking at the pros and cons of those various angles,” Johnson said when asked if he has decided how to handle the thorny issue. “I was originally thinking that we would include it in the reconciliation process, because that's just a partisan exercise that doesn't require Democrat votes.”
The conversation — which took place at Trump National Doral, where GOP lawmakers are gathering for their annual retreat — came as House Republicans are staring down a high-stakes stretch of legislating, including advancing President Trump’s wish list of policies, funding the government by next month’s deadline and raising the debt limit this summer to avoid an economic default, all with the slimmest of majorities.
Johnson shifted from his initial plan of including the debt hike in the GOP’s reconciliation package because Senate Republicans didn't think it would be possible to raise the debt ceiling on a GOP-only vote.
“I think there's some concern in the Senate that that might be difficult to do on a partisan basis, and so it may wind up being a bipartisan exercise,” he added. “So where that fits in and in what sequence is part of the discussion here, and we'll make that determination here in the coming week or so.”
The debt ceiling will be one of the thorniest matters Johnson will have to confront, as he works to build consensus among hardline Republicans who are pushing for steep spending cuts, moderates weary of slashing too much federal funding, and conservatives who have never supported a debt limit hike and are not inclined to now.
Trump has expressed opposition to including the debt ceiling lift in the bill, for fear it could give Democrats an opportunity to leverage wins in negotiations over the borrowing limit.
Trump on a number of occasions has criticized the deal former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) struck with former President Biden to suspend the borrowing limit for two years.
In addition to discussing strategy for moving Trump’s agenda, Johnson on Tuesday defended the Trump administration’s widespread pause on federal grants and loans, which have led to confusion among nonprofit groups and lawmakers, and sparked outrage from Democrats. A judge temporarily paused the freeze on Tuesday.
Asked by The Hill if he has any concerns about the order, Johnson responded “I don’t, I fully support it.”
“It is a temporary pause, for some programs it could be an hours-long pause, it is not a thing,” Johnson said. “Some of the programs have already been approved. This is a, I believe, an application of common sense. We want to make sure that the executive orders are the new president are being fully complied with with regard to these programs. I think these will be quick reviews, I don't think this is a big, major interruption of programming or anything, and it specifies in the OMB guidance that any direct aid individuals is not included in this.”
The acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo late Monday directing federal agencies to temporarily pause “all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.”
A federal judge blocked the order from taking effect moments before it was to do so at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Johnson also discussed his relationship with Trump and recent comments the president has made, including when he floated running for a third term on Monday. While speaking to House Republicans at the retreat in Florida, Trump said “I’ve raised a lot of money for the next race that I assume I can’t use for myself, but I’m not 100 percent sure, because I don’t know. I think I’m not allowed to run again, I’m not sure.”
Trump then turned to Johnson, a former constitutional lawyer, who was sitting beside the president.
“Am I allowed to run again, Mike?” Trump said, adding: “I better not get you involved in that.”
Johnson on Tuesday described Trump’s remarks as “tongue in cheek.”
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