Mike Johnson’s dealmaking with Democrats stirs anger among Republicans as negotiators inch closer to government funding plan

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s late-December dealmaking with Democrats is stirring intense anger across his GOP conference, just days before a government spending deadline and weeks before the pivotal vote the Louisiana Republican needs to win to keep his gavel.

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s late-December dealmaking with Democrats is stirring intense anger across his GOP conference, just days before a government spending deadline and weeks before the pivotal vote the Louisiana Republican needs to win to keep his gavel. Details of the spending deal are still under wraps, but multiple House conservatives said Tuesday they feared Johnson and GOP negotiators have ceded too many Democratic demands — resulting in the kind of massive year-end package that Johnson has promised he’d avoid. “It is a total dumpster fire,” said Republican Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri, voicing his frustrations at Johnson, whom he wouldn’t commit to backing on the floor in January. Their anger is largely symbolic since most of those conservatives routinely oppose spending deals on the floor. But conservatives are sending an early warning shot to Johnson, suggesting this week’s funding fight could determine the speaker’s fate in that leadership vote. “We’ll see. Everything’s got consequences,” said Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, when asked if the funding bill would impact his support for Johnson next month. In recent days, Johnson and his allies have spent hours trying to keep conservatives on his side as negotiations continue. Johnson sat down with the House Freedom Caucus at their weekly meeting on Monday night as he detailed some of the spending conversations and worked to head off a conservative rebellion.