'We're running out of time': Congressman says speaker race slowed shutdown negotiation

WASHINGTON (WJLA) — In a week that saw a new Speaker of the House elected – after weeks of Republicans scrambling to choose a new leader – the focus is turning right back to a negotiation for a new bill to fund the federal government and avert a government shutdown before the current deal ends.

Last month, Democrats and Republicans came to a compromise to keep the federal government funded at the 11th hour, preventing a shutdown.

The clock is ticking for a new deal, with the current bill set to expire on Nov. 17 – less than three weeks away.

Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., told WJLA the negotiations may have taken a hit because they were put on hold while Republicans scrambled to pick a nominee for Speaker, after ousting then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in the wake of the deal for the current bill.

We're running out of time," Ivey said. "We lost three weeks while the Republican House members were going around trying to figure out how to replace McCarthy as their Speaker.

Ivey said he is now worried about what a shutdown could mean for his district and the D.C. area as a whole.

The D.C. area is home to many federal government workers who would be furloughed or forced to work without pay, should there be a shutdown.

"There's no question it's devastating in our region. Prince George's County, the District of Columbia, the whole DMV really take it on the chin when we have these government shutdowns because there are so many government employees or people who do work that's connected to the federal government," Ivey said.

It's devastating for federal employees not just in my district, but across the country. Many of them would be compelled to continue to work, even though they don't get paid. For people who have the rent due or groceries needed for that month, it can put them in a real financial bind.

Ivey said each day that passed they couldn't negotiate a new funding deal could make it even tougher to come to an agreement on a new bill.

Beyond a spending bill, there are other pieces of legislation that could fall by the wayside.

"Every day can be critical, especially when you look back at the last round on the legislation we finally put together to keep the government open. That took months," Ivey said.

We've got other pieces of major legislation between now and then, too, like the supplemental funding for Israel, the supplemental funding for Ukraine, humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.

Beyond the time constraints, Ivey said it could be tougher to reach a compromise deemed palatable to both parties.

The compromise for the current bill drew the ire of the far-right faction of the Republican party, ultimately costing McCarthy his role as speaker. Additionally, new Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., voted against the current spending bill.

"We had very tough negotiations the last time around," Ivey said. "I don't know if the House Republicans are going to be in the mood to do it that way again. They had 91 people - including the new Speaker Johnson - who voted against the deal to keep the government open."

After Republicans selected Johnson as the new speaker, the Louisiana Congressman said he and his caucus were now focused on working to pass legislation.

We have a very busy agenda. We have appropriations bills to get through the process. You're going to see this group working like a well-oiled machine," Johnson said. "We're going to restore your trust in what we do here. You're going to see a new form of government, and we're going to move this quickly. This group here is ready to govern, and we're going to govern well.

If no new agreement is approved and the government is shut down, that could have an impact on troops, border security, and TSA agents at the airport.

Ivey said it is crucial we don't get to that point.

"We're pushing to have more people on the streets to address crime, more people for border security, more people to protect us from terrorism - recognizing the possibility of retaliation due to what's going on in the Middle East," Ivey said. "Let's not expose us on any of those fronts with a government shutdown."