On Saturday, March 23, before going on a two-week recess, the Senate voted 74-24 to pass a $1.2 trillion spending bill. President Biden promptly signed the bill to prevent a government shutdown. This bill was the final part of the federal spending package needed to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year in September. The House passed the same funding package on Friday, March 22 with a vote of 286-134, just narrowly meeting the two-thirds majority threshold required for approval. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.-4) and his leadership team made efforts to demonstrate that this was among the best possible outcomes given the reality of divided control of government. Despite their entreaties, a majority of the House GOP conference voted against the package.
In response to the decision by GOP leadership to press ahead with the spending package vote for the six remaining appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.-14) filed a motion to remove Rep. Mike Johnson as House Speaker. Rep. Greene's motion is not privileged, meaning it's unclear if or when it will be brought to the floor for a vote. Rep. Greene told reporters after the vote that she has "started the process" of electing a new speaker, but she reportedly will not force an immediate vote. Her actions are the latest in a series of actions taken by a small but increasingly unruly House faction increasingly in conflict with GOP leadership. Several House Democrats, including recently elected and NAAPAC-backed Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.-3), have said they would vote to support Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker, as part of an effort to neutralize the “sword of Damocles” threat posed by this disruptive group of Republicans.
On April 9, the House is expected to return to address the motion to vacate issue and continue work on a security supplemental bill that will provide aid to allies like Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine. Additionally, Congress will likely consider an emergency relief spending measure following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, plus the Senate will have to act on Secretary Mayorkas's impeachment once the House sends over the requisite articles. The NAA's government affairs team is keeping a close watch on any developments related to this leadership challenge and its potential impact on the legislative calendar.
In mid-March, as part of the Advocate conference, hundreds of industry professionals from NAA’s 141 state and local affiliates met with 260 different congressional offices to discuss NAA’s three priority bills and highlight the importance of rental housing in their communities. While follow-up outreach is ongoing, post-meeting reports indicate that already over 20 members of Congress agreed to take the actions our advocates requested. We are grateful to everyone who helped build support for S. 3755/H.R. 802, The Respect State Housing Laws Act, S. 1688/H.R. 3507, The Yes in My Backyard Act and S. 32/H.R. 4606, The Choice in Affordable Housing Act.
We encourage you to join NAA’s monthly Advocacy and Legal Webinar (ALW) series to see what else the NAA’s Government Affairs team is working on. NAA discusses its federal advocacy efforts, state and local trends we’re tracking from across the country and the latest legal news you need to know to help you keep up with your compliance responsibilities. To register for next month’s Advocacy and Legal Webinar (ALW) on April 17, 2024, please click here.
If you have additional questions about how your NAAPAC is working to support our legislative champions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].