Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on September 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed cautious optimism Thursday that Republicans will pass their 52-day continuing resolution on Friday — a week ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government. I really don’t.”With a narrow 219-213 edge over Democrats, Johnson can afford to lose just two Republican defectors in a vote on passage. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has expressed opposition to the funding bill and Democrats are likely to follow his lead and vote against it. “This is a clean funding resolution, bipartisan funding resolution, short-term, to allow the Appropriations Committee to do its work.”Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio.