AP Photo Boehner move all but assures no shutdown

The odds of a government shutdown just got very low.

Speaker John Boehner’s stunning announcement Friday that he would resign from Congress quiets concerns that federal agencies will shut their doors after Sept. 30, freeing the speaker from any political backlash he would face by shepherding a so-called “clean” funding bill to President Barack Obama.


It was always known Boehner and fellow GOP leaders would have to rely on Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and her House Democratic ranks to pass a government funding bill without a controversial provision defunding Planned Parenthood. But the question was how much of a political threat that would have posed to Boehner’s speakership—a threat that no longer exists.

“I think we’re gonna not shut down the government,” House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) predicted confidently on Friday.

Indeed, Boehner and his leadership team began greasing the wheels toward a clean stopgap funding bill on Thursday with a multiprongedplan to maneuver the House out of the shutdown path. The GOP-led House will vote on a “clean” funding bill next week after putting up additional measures stripping Planned Parenthood of its federal funding.

House Republican leaders would also increase the pace of their investigations into Planned Parenthood and begin writing legislation using the budget reconciliation process—an attractive option, since that can’t be filibustered in the Senate—to take away cash from the women’s health group.

Pelosi told reporters Friday that the GOP leadership’s strategy was “fine, if that’s the way they want to do it.”

“As long as one of them is a clean CR,” Pelosi added, referring to a continuing resolution.

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a close Boehner ally, said that “enough” House Republicans will vote to pass the clean government funding bill, without Planned Parenthood riders.

“It’s not gonna happen,” added Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) about the prospects of a government shutdown. “No. The speaker met with us [Thursday] and told us we will vote for a clean continuing resolution.”

Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), one of Boehner’s chief conservative foes who met with the speaker on Thursday, said the resignation did not change the outcome of the government shutdown fight.

“We know there’s going to be Republicans who vote against it;we know that that number will probably be such that it’ll require Democrats to help pass it,” Mulvaney said. “The only real question is, how many Republicans ultimately vote against a clean CR that funds Planned Parenthood. Numbers I’ve heard are between 50 and 100.”

Meanwhile, the Senate will take the first steps next week with a procedural vote on a measure that funds the government through Dec. 11 and does not include provisions defunding Planned Parenthood. That bill is expected to pass the Senate no later than Tuesday night.