Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy A last-ditch plan was hastily hatched on Friday to keep the federation The government is temporarily open — but with spending slashed by nearly 30% at many agencies, he calls for tougher border security rules hard right Although there is little chance in a Democratic Senate.
The package passed a procedural vote on Friday, but final passage in the afternoon was uncertain, testing whether the embattled McCarthy can get the support of the slim Republican majority he needs. The right has so far rejected his efforts as they push McCarthy closer to their demands, threatening to oust him and risk being overthrown. government shutdown.
The Republican speaker had all but dared the objections of his insistent colleagues the day before Will almost certainly be closed on Saturday. The bill will remain in operation until October 31.
“Every member must have their position on the record,” McCarthy, a Republican, said at the Capitol.
Asked if he had the votes, McCarthy quipped: “We’ll see.”
As soon as the live debate began, McCarthy’s leading Republican critic, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, announced that he would vote against the package, calling its border security provisions insufficient and urging his colleagues “not to surrender.”
The federal government will go into a shutdown directly after midnight Saturday, which will put 2 million troops without pay, furlough federal jobs and disrupt government services and programs that Americans rely on from coast to coast. Congress has been unable to fund these agencies or pass a stopgap bill to keep offices open.
While the Senate on Friday was moving forward on a bipartisan plan with broad support from Republicans and Democrats to keep the government open and bolster Ukraine aid and the U.S. disaster account, the House of Representatives was thrown into political chaos as the far right seized control.
The White House rejected McCarthy’s offer to meet with President Joe Biden after McCarthy abandoned a debt deal they brokered earlier this year that set budget levels.
“Extreme Republicans in the House are now doubling down on their demands to eliminate the programs that millions of hardworking families rely on,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“The Senate, with bipartisan support, has charted a path to funding the government — House Republicans just need to embrace it,” Jean-Pierre said.
In an effort to appeal to his far right, McCarthy has reinstated the lower spending limits they demanded in January as part of a deal that helped him become House speaker.
The plan would not cut spending at the Department of Defense, Veterans, or Homeland Security, but it would cut spending at nearly every other agency by as much as 30% — a severe blow to a host of programs, services and departments that Americans rely on every day.
It also adds tough new border security rules that, among other measures, will start construction of a wall along the southern border with Mexico. Additionally, the plan would establish a bipartisan debt commission to address the nation’s growing debt burden.
The far-right forces, led by Gaetz, have been threatening to oust McCarthy, and they are about to hold a vote to try to remove McCarthy from the speaker’s office unless he meets the demands of conservatives. However, it is unclear whether any other Republicans will have the support of the House majority to lead the party.
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