The House of Representatives recently passed a foreign aid package, with more Democrats than Republicans voting in favor, leaving Speaker Mike Johnson’s position at risk. The current House is governed by a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats, with a conservative speaker leading but lacking a Republican majority for lawmaking. Despite the rank partisanship, critical matters such as averting debt defaults and passing aid and funding have been accomplished in a more bipartisan manner than expected. However, the most conservative voices, particularly the House Freedom Caucus, have been shut out of the process, potentially impacting the sustainability of this bipartisan approach.
The House’s normal power structures have broken down, with the Freedom Caucus frequently blocking legislation through procedural tactics, causing repeated failures to bring bills to a vote. Speaker Johnson has had to navigate around these blockades by taking extraordinary measures, such as considering bills under fast-track procedures to fund the entire government. Additionally, the House has faced challenges in passing the foreign aid package due to opposition from the Freedom Caucus, forcing Democrats to support the rule teeing up the vote, highlighting the speaker’s precarious position.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the Freedom Caucus, has threatened to force a vote to remove Speaker Johnson from his position, accusing him of betraying Republicans. Some Democrats have expressed willingness to help Johnson retain his speakership, viewing his passing of Ukraine assistance as the right thing to do. A bipartisan rejection of efforts to oust the speaker could help restore the House’s credibility as a deliberative body and weaken the Freedom Caucus’s power.
While there is hope for a new era of comity in the House, bipartisan cooperation is limited by the need for both sides to benefit from any deals made. Speaker Johnson’s survival may be aided by the lack of major legislative obligations before the next election, but he faces pressure to appease conservatives and maintain trust with Democrats. The past week has shown that governance is still possible in the House if the right decisions are made, but it remains to be seen how long this precarious balance will last.
The Freedom Caucus’s belief in their own power has led them to undermine legislative outcomes and made themselves irrelevant as a force within the House. Speaker Johnson, like his predecessors, may face challenges if he loses the trust of Democrats or conservatives, highlighting the delicate nature of leadership in the House. While the bipartisan approach has achieved some success in critical matters, the lingering threat of factionalism raises questions about the House’s ability to govern effectively in the long term.
