Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to tie a six-month spending extension to a voting restriction bill pushed by former President Donald Trump was stymied Wednesday as the Louisiana Republican was forced to pull the package from the floor schedule.
Johnson announced his decision midday in the face of certain defeat instead of pushing forward with the planned vote around 4:30 p.m. He said GOP leaders would continue to work on the package to try to shore up votes over the weekend, in hopes of bringing it back to the floor as soon as next week.
“The whip is going to do the hard work and build consensus. We’re going to work through the weekend on that,” Johnson told reporters shortly before the House convened at noon. “No vote today because we’re in the consensus-building business here in Congress. With small majorities, that’s what you do. …We’re having thoughtful conversations, family conversations, within the Republican conference, and I believe we’ll get there.”
