Johnson Backs Temporary Spending Bill, Says Congress Should Codify DOGE-Proposed Cuts Later

The plan could help prevent a government shutdown ahead of the looming March 14 funding deadline.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks after winning the House Speaker election during the first sitting of the 119th Congress in Washington on Jan. 3, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on March 2 that he prefers passing a clean government funding extension to prevent a government shutdown through September before working towards including cuts recommended by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in fiscal year 2026 legislation.

Johnson’s plan may help reduce the chance of a government shutdown looming ahead of a March 14 funding deadline. Republicans previously sought to incorporate the DOGE cuts immediately in an appropriations bill, which likely would have been opposed by Democrats.