Axios with the report, in brief:
- House Republicans have shifted from optimistically cautious to expecting a government shutdown
- House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to choose in coming weeks between a fight with Democrats that threatens a shutdown, or a deal with Democrats that threatens his job.
- The government will start a partial shutdown unless a budget or spending stopgap is passed by March 1.
- It will go into a full shutdown if there's not a budget or stopgap by March 8.
- The key date is April 30. If there's not a new budget by then, it will trigger a 1% across-the-board spending cut. Democrats won't back a stopgap bill beyond this.
As the old saying goes, never stand between a man and his paycheck. Johnson wants his, and is prepared to sacrifice government workers for it. Priorities.
