House Speaker Mike Johnson isn’t exactly known for bold independence, but behind closed doors this week, he made it plain: he’s waiting for Donald Trump to tell him what to do.
According to Politico, Johnson told fellow House Republicans in a private meeting that he’s holding off on moving forward with key spending decisions until Trump’s team gives the green light — specifically on so-called “anomaly” requests.
“In particular, appropriators are waiting on ‘anomaly’ requests from President Donald Trump’s budget aides, Johnson said, according to three people in the room who were granted anonymity to describe the private remarks,” the report stated.
These “anomalies” refer to anything that deviates from last year’s spending levels and would need to be included in a temporary stopgap funding bill to keep the government open. In other words, Johnson’s waiting for Trump’s people to tell him where to make cuts or increases — even with a shutdown looming in just three weeks.
The House Speaker, who’s been in a precarious position ever since narrowly dodging an internal GOP revolt, told Republicans he prefers to pass full-year funding bills. But he’s also prepared to settle for a continuing resolution if it means avoiding a shutdown.
Meanwhile, the broader picture is looking messy. Negotiations are stuck in neutral. As Politico put it, “Democrats and GOP appropriators are eyeing November or December, buying time for further negotiations on fiscal 2026 funding and other matters, while conservative hard-liners and some in the White House want an extension into next year — in part, to avoid what they believe could be an unsavory bipartisan deal with Democrats.”
That “unsavory deal” is code for the usual: compromise. And compromise, in today’s GOP, is treated like a four-letter word.
But that avoidance strategy only increases the likelihood that nothing gets done before the deadline, and the government shuts down — again.
And Republicans may not even have the votes to pass anything without Democrats. That’s where things get even more tangled.
According to multiple sources, Democrats are considering asking for an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies as their condition for helping to keep the lights on. That’s the kind of bargaining chip that could send conservative hardliners into a tailspin.
So, here we are: three weeks from a shutdown, with the Speaker of the House openly admitting in private that he’s waiting for Trump’s people to make the next move. Not leading. Not negotiating. Just waiting.
For all the bluster about taking back control of the government, the House GOP is sitting on its hands — not until there’s a deal, but until Trump says go.
