Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is in the hot seat this week, as he attempts to rally his majority around a Senate-modified spending package and avert a protracted government shutdown.

Since Saturday, the federal government’s discretionary spending authority has expired for key agencies. 

Senate Democrats and Republicans crafted a deal on Friday to fund the State Department and financial regulators, as well as agencies overseeing war, education, labor, health, and housing. 

However, the House and the president have to approve the package in order to fund the government.

The Senate package satisfied Democrat demands for separate consideration of Department of Homeland Security funding by approving a two-week funding extension for the agency, in an attempt to buy time for a congressional debate over immigration law enforcement.

Now, Johnson, R-La., has to quickly rally the House behind the Senate’s package to prevent federal agencies from shutting down........

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