House Speaker Paul D. Ryan faces his first big test as Congress stares down a deadline to do something that has become increasingly difficult: pass a bill to fund the government.
With just seven work days remaining, the new speaker will aim to leverage his political honeymoon into a strategy that will avoid another federal shutdown.
But already Ryan is under pressure to tack on a host of GOP policy provisions to the $1.1-trillion spending bill — among them efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, halt the entry of Syrian refugees and repeal Obamacare.
The Wisconsin Republican received an assist Monday from House Majority LeaderKevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, the No. 2 Republican, who suggested that the Dec. 11 deadline to pass a spending bill might slip to Dec. 18, allowing more time to get rank-and-file Republicans on board.
«Our first principle starting out is to get the most conservative bill we can,» McCarthy told reporters Monday in the Capitol, saying he was «hopeful» the voting could be wrapped up by the 11th, but noting that Dec. 18 is the final workday before lawmakers break for the Christmas holidays.
«I wish it would go a little faster,» he said. «If not, we’re here until the 18th, and it won’t make any difference. We’ll get it done.»
He added: «I do not see a shutdown happening.»
President Obama previously said he would not sign another temporary funding bill beyond the one that runs out Dec. 11, but the White House softened that Monday, opening the door for a stopgap measure for just a few days.
More challenging is that Democrats are resisting most of the GOP priorities and may have some of their own.
Both sides had hoped that the two-year budget accord reached this fall would create a smoother landing for the year-end spending bill. But staff negotiators have struggled over working nights and weekends to try to reach a compromise.
The days ahead will be pivotal for Ryan, who has enjoyed mostly positive reviews since he took over for beleaguered House Speaker John A. Boehner this fall.
But Ryan’s leadership has not yet been seriously tested.
«I say with some confidence that the newly elected speaker of the House doesn’t want to preside over a government shutdown six weeks into his tenure,» White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
Just two months ago, the funding fight over GOP efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, led in part by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the GOP presidential candidate, helped push Boehner out of office. Conservatives rallied opposition to Planned Parenthood after secretly recorded videos showed officials for the family planning organization discussing the use of fetal tissue for research.
Boehner decided to resign after conservatives threatened to oust him for refusing to engage in a protracted fight that could have resulted in a shutdown.
McCarthy indicated that Republican priorities have shifted since then. And Democrats warned Republicans to tone down their criticism of Planned Parenthood after a gunman opened fire last week at a Colorado facility, killing three.
Many lawmakers in both parties are more concerned with security issues after the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Legislation to stop Syrian refugees from being resettled in the U.S. won widespread support in the House. Now GOP leaders are focusing their attention on beefing up security in the visa waiver program.
Under new legislation being drafted, the House may try to require visitors from Europe and countries that are not required to obtain U.S. visas to go through additional passport controls and screenings before entering the country.
Democrats and the administration have also proposed changes to tighten the visa waiver program, but the details have not yet been set.
Congress is racing the clock to finish up a variety of other must-do work before breaking for the holidays.
Legislation to provide multi-year funding for federal highway projects is nearing completion in advance of the current Dec. 4 deadline. And efforts are underway to wrap up an ambitious effort to reform education policy by replacing the No Child Left Behind program with an alternative that has drawn mixed reviews.
Republicans are also taking aim at Obama’s efforts to reach a climate change accord during negotiations in Paris this month with bills to disapprove or defund any agreements reached.
And lawmakers are hoping to approve a package of specialty tax breaks that routinely expire at the end of each year, but typically are extended in a bipartisan vote.
«We have so much to do,» an exasperated Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the Democratic leader, said as the chamber opened on Monday.
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Los Angeles Times December 1, 2015
