House Speaker Mike Johnson narrowly averted disaster Wednesday afternoon, salvaging the $900 billion defense authorization bill after cutting last-minute deals and phoning a friend: Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Why it matters: Conservatives supplied the votes, but they are threatening to tank the next spending bill if Johnson (R-La.) breaks his word. • "So we made a deal — and actually we talked to the secretary of state directly," Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) told Axios, saying Rubio vowed to shut down alleged funding from NGOs to the Taliban. • Johnson also promised to "go to war" to ensure that a ban on a central bank digital currency gets attached to the next appropriations bill, due in late January. • "It either happens, or a CR goes down," Luna said. "He's promised to be

See Full Page