A lot of folks aren’t catching what Speaker Mike Johnson’s doing—he’s saying no spending cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency are hitting this new stopgap funding bill. He’s set to keep government cash flowing through October, holding it steady at last year’s levels, no trimming anywhere. Johnson’s pushing a “clean” continuing resolution—freezing funds where they landed in fiscal 2024—to dodge a shutdown come March 15, letting talks about next year’s budget stretch out.
Johnson’s pitch is simple—pass a clean bill, no DOGE cuts, just keep the government running at the same pace as fiscal 2024, which clocked $6.752 trillion in total outlays from October 2023 to September 2024. That’s not $6.8 trillion dumped in a few months—it’s the full year’s spending, $1.833 trillion deficit included, and this stopgap locks that rate in place ‘til October. He’s calling for bipartisan nods, telling Democrats to sit down and hash it out to keep things humming past mid-March. This isn’t about slashing anything—it’s holding last year’s $6.752 trillion level, and the pile’s not shrinking.
The breakdown’s clear—fiscal 2024’s $6.752 trillion covered everything: $950 billion in debt interest, $1.9 trillion on Social Security, $1.5 trillion on healthcare, the rest spread across defense, payrolls, contracts. This stopgap doesn’t add that full wad—it stretches that rate, about $563 billion a month, from March 15 to October 1, landing around $3.9 trillion for those seven months. Hard-line House conservatives wanted DOGE cuts—$100 billion or more—but Johnson’s keeping it light, no big fights. He’s not spending $6.8 trillion fresh—this is last year’s pace rolling on, and X’s split on if it’s weak or wise.
There’s a two-step twist—some funding runs dry January 19, the rest February 2, dodging a giant omnibus tangle. Then there’s a three-month bill floated too—stretching to December 20—all at that $6.752 trillion yearly rate, no changes. Interest alone was $950 billion in 2024—up 34% from 2023—tax breaks stayed fat, no DOGE slimming the bloat. This doesn’t fix the mess—it’s a bridge from $1.833 trillion deficit spending, and they’re just buying time.
Some conservatives aren’t happy—pushing DOGE to hack billions off the $35.7 trillion debt pile from September 2024. Johnson’s clean CR skips that—holds steady, no shutdown chaos, bipartisan nods to push past March 15. That two-step—January 19 and February 2—nudges House and Senate to wrestle the 12 regular funding bills later. They’re stalling—$6.752 trillion’s the baseline, no cuts, and that debt’s sitting there untouched.
The real scoop is this stopgap’s a freeze—$6.752 trillion was 2024’s full outlay, $1.833 trillion deficit, and Johnson’s locking that rate through October. No DOGE cuts mean $563 billion a month keeps flowing—$3.9 trillion from March to October—while talks drag. X’s mixed—some call it a dodge, others a play—but it’s no slim-down. This is government sticking to last year’s $6.752 trillion—keeps it running, no fixes, and the red ink’s piling up. Fiscal 2025’s a long way off—this ain’t tackling it yet.
Sources:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-house-looks-pass-stopgap-145539784.html
https://www.econotimes.com/US-House-Speaker-Pushes-for-Clean-Stopgap-Funding-to-Avoid-Shutdown-1703452: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5168625-donald-trump-clean-stopgap-funding-measure/
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/02/johnson-stopgap-funding-bill-doge-cuts-00206881
