Residents of the top house on either side of the aisle threw cold water on government funding to include Mike Johnson’s ideas on government funding and government funding, as well as sculptures and adjustments that matched the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts.
House Budget Chairman Tom Cole, a Republican in Oklahoma, told CNN: I don’t know that there will be time between now and March 14th,” he says, referring to the upcoming government closure deadline.
Cole specifically shot down the idea of a government fundraising extension, including US Organization for International Development (USAID) cuts, saying, “To be honest, this has to be bipartisan. You can’t play partisan games in the Senate.” In the Senate, Republicans will need democratic support to overcome the filibuster.
Speaking about the deadline between now and March 14th, Cole added, “People don’t understand how much work it is about to do.” Short-term suspension expenditure invoices retain current funding levels, but can include anomalies that reduce or increase spending in some regions.
Meanwhile, Rep. Rosa Delauro, a top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said of Johnson’s proposal to include Doge Cuts in government funding: “I don’t know what they’re talking about. Every day it’s something.”
In the Senate, Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Approximately Expenditure Committee, said discussions on these cuts should be part of a more complete negotiation. “I don’t know how that works,” Collins said the idea was on the rise. “These are issues to consider in the 2026 expenditure process where testimony can be heard from all secretaries and agency heads.”
Democrat Sen. Tim Kane called it a “non-starter.” The bill will be subject to a 60-vote threshold, so at least a small number of democratic senators would be required to pass the government funding package. There are only 53 Republicans.
Senator Chris Murphy said, “I’m not going to respond. That sounds like nonsense.”
With the government’s funding deadline approaching March 14th, Johnson admitted in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Hat Congress that a one-year resolution may have to be settled to maintain spending at current levels.
This post was updated with a response from the Senator.