Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., likely will need to rely on House Democrats to pass a government funding deal, The Hill has reported.
That's because conservatives in a closely divided House are angry about the package.
The irony in that development is that a similar scenario resulted in former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., being ousted from his position in October after he worked with Democrats to fund the government.
Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Sunday agreed on a $1.59 trillion spending deal, plus $69 billion in nondefense budget tweaks, setting up a race to pass bills that would appropriate the money before the government begins to shut down this month.
There's a Jan. 19 deadline for the first set of bills to move through Congress and a Feb. 2 deadline for the remainder of them.
Johnson has said he will not pass another short-term continuing resolution, leaving open the possibility of a shutdown if Congress cannot meet the deadlines.
With his party holding a thin 220-213 majority, Johnson can't afford much internal opposition without seeking help from Democrats.
House conservatives have already slammed the deal, and some have demanded concessions regarding the border policy — an issue that has been part of discussions around a supplemental spending bill to provide Ukraine and Israel with aid.
The House Freedom Caucus, consisting of roughly three dozen members, wrote in a post on X that the government funding deal was a "total failure."
New Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, policy chair of the group, suggested on X that the GOP had lost some leverage by agreeing to a top-line spending level.
Good wrote that the deal has "no significant policy wins." Roy wrote that he will "wait to see if we get meaningful policy riders," but warned that the annual defense bill, which included a short-term extension of foreign surveillance programs that conservatives oppose, "was not a good preview."
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X she would oppose the budget deal because it "does nothing to secure the border, stop the invasion, or stop the weaponized government targeting Biden's political enemies and innocent Americans."
Johnson, though, has touted some wins on accelerating clawbacks of IRS funding, as well as a $6.1 billion cut to "COVID-era slush funds," calling it "the most favorable budget agreement Republicans have achieved in over a decade," The Hill reported.
It's uncertain whether Johnson will utilize a process that denies hardliners the opportunity to sink appropriations bills through a procedural vote.
Usually in the House, a rule is passed to dictate the terms of debate for legislation.
Conservatives during the past year have rejected rules passage to protest other spending bills. It was unclear as of Monday whether any Republicans would move to sink the procedural votes, The Hill reported.
A process known as suspension of the rules could bypass the procedural vote and clear the bill with two-thirds support of the chamber.
Reuters contributed to this story.