Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said at the premiere of “Melania” that he is not confident that a government shutdown will be avoided, even though the Senate agreed to a deal that would fund parts of the government on Jan. 29.
The deal strips a Department of Homeland funding bill from the funding package and replaces it with a two-week continuing resolution to allow for negotiations for reforms to the agency. It is unclear when the revised funding package will be sent back to the lower chamber.
“The Senate is doing their thing tonight and I’ve got to make some tough decisions later this evening on how soon we can get House members back,” Johnson said on the red carpet at the Trump Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
Live updates: Senate reaches DHS funding deal as shutdown looms
Johnson pointed to 72-hour return notice for members in the chamber's rules in an interview with USA TODAY at the premiere. "Logistics are a challenge," he said, adding that he "thinks" the earliest the House could take action on the deal is Monday, Feb. 2, and that the country will "inevitably" be in a short shutdown.
