The Week: Congress Avoids a Shutdown—For Now

• Illinois is kicking Trump off the ballot. Is he not corrupt enough?

• Congressional leaders have reached a stopgap deal that may avoid an immediate government shutdown. But the deal may only delay a shutdown by a week. The challenge facing House Speaker Mike Johnson is the same as the one that plagued his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. Republicans control only one chamber of Congress, by a razor-thin margin, meaning that if Johnson cannot unite his caucus around a bill to fund the government, he will have to rely on Democrats. Doing so could put his leadership at risk, just as it ended McCarthy’s. The sticking point is not overall spending levels, which were hammered out in January. The House Freedom Caucus wants concessions from Biden on immigration, abortion, and environmental regulations. Realistically, House Republicans are not going to transform Joe Biden into a conservative Republican—especially with a Democratic Senate. If Johnson found a way to pass a bill with some Freedom Caucus priorities, it could increase Republicans’ leverage with Senate Democrats. But barring that, he will have to cut the best deal that he can with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden and rely on Democrats to secure the votes needed for passage. To allow the government to shut down would be yet another indication of dysfunction among House Republicans.

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• Illinois is kicking Trump off the ballot. Is he not corrupt enough?

• Congressional leaders have reached a stopgap deal that may avoid an immediate government shutdown. But the deal may only delay a shutdown by a week. The challenge facing House Speaker Mike Johnson is the same as the one that plagued his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. Republicans control only one chamber of Congress, by a razor-thin margin, meaning that if Johnson cannot unite his caucus around a bill to fund the government, he will have to rely on Democrats. Doing so could put his leadership at risk, just as it ended McCarthy’s. The sticking point is not overall spending levels, which were hammered out in January. The House Freedom Caucus wants concessions from Biden on immigration, abortion, and environmental regulations. Realistically, House Republicans are not going to transform Joe Biden into a conservative Republican—especially with a Democratic Senate. If Johnson found a way to pass a bill with some Freedom Caucus priorities, it could increase Republicans’ leverage with Senate Democrats. But barring that, he will have to cut the best deal that he can with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden and rely on Democrats to secure the votes needed for passage. To allow the government to shut down would be yet another indication of dysfunction among House Republicans.