Congress averted a government shutdown late Friday evening as questions swirl about Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) future as leader of the House after days of disagreements over the stop gap bill on Capitol Hill.
Johnson’s leadership style received pushback from all corners of the GOP, which has highlighted uncertainty within the party about whether he should stay on as Speaker in the next session.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky), who described Johnson as a “weak, weak man” during funding negotiations and even floated Musk to replace Johnson as House speaker, is set to join Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” where he will likely discuss the funding package.
Paul, the leading critic of the 20 GOP senators that voted against the Social Security bill that will bolster benefits for over 2 million American citizens Friday night, will also likely discuss his failed effort to amend the measure.
Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is scheduled to also appear on the program where she will likely address the stopgap bill — which did not include President- elect Trump’s call for the suspension of the debt ceiling — as well as other MAGA efforts as inauguration day quickly approaches. Trump’s pick to lead his national security efforts, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) will also join the show.
Trump torpedoed the initial bipartisan spending deal presented by Johnson, prompting lawmakers to head back to the drawing board as the shutdown deadline loomed. The third version of the funding package ultimately passed and was signed into law by President Biden Saturday .
The bill will keep the government afloat until mid-March when a new bill will be reviewed by a Republican controlled Congress. Their slim majority could underscore legislative gains for the party that is seemingly divided — presenting concerns about fractures in GOP support for some of Trump’s agenda.
Sen.-elect John Curtis (R-Utah), who ended his term in the House Friday night, will join ABC’s “This Week” and is likely to speak on his vote against the spending bill and preview his legislative stances on pressing topics for the 119th Congress, which include border security and tax revisions. He’s likely to be a hurdle to confirmation for some of the former president’s Cabinet picks alongside eight other GOP members.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is also set to appear on ABC’s “This Week” where he will likely preview Democrats’ life in the minority come January as the Republican trifecta takes hold.
Fetterman has been fairly supportive of Trump in recent weeks and spoke with Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth behind closed doors on the Hill, illustrating an openness to work with Trump and his allies.
Here’s the full list of appearances on this week’s Sunday talk shows:
NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.); Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.)
NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.); James Lankford (R-Okla.)
Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday”: Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.); Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.)
Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures”: Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), incoming national security adviser; Karoline Leavitt, Incoming White House press secretary; Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop Of New York; Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.)
ABC’s “This Week”: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.); Sen.-elect John Curtis (R-Utah)
CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.); Chris Coons (D-Conn.)
CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.); Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.); Tony Gonzales (R-Texas)
