on an edge federal government shutdown, speaker Kevin McCarthy A dramatic shift was announced on Saturday in an attempt to push a 45-day appropriations bill through the House with the help of Democrats — a move that might keep the government open but would certainly risk losing jobs.
Republican lawmakers met behind closed doors early in the morning, hours before a midnight deadline to fund government operations or face a devastating federal shutdown.
New methods will remain Aid to Ukrainea White House priority facing growing opposition from Republican lawmakers, but the plan would increase $16 billion in federal disaster aid, Meet all President Joe Biden’s requirements.
The House was preparing for a quick vote on the package on Saturday, but Democrats pumped the brakes to buy time to read the 71-page bill. Across the street from the Capitol, the Senate is holding a rare weekend session, hoping to advance its own stopgap measure that would defund Ukraine.
“We’re going to do our job,” McCarthy said after the morning meeting. “We’re going to be the adults in the room. We’re going to keep the government open.”
With no agreement reached by Sunday, Federal workers to face furloughsMore than 2 million active duty and reserve troops will work without pay, and the programs and services Americans rely on from coast to coast will Beginning to face disruptions.
The sudden action by the House of Representatives will provide funding for the government at current levels in 2023 for 45 days, until November 17. It would be closer to the bipartisan package underway in the Senate, which would also fund the government during this period, while adding $6 billion for Ukraine to fight Russia and $6 billion for U.S. disaster relief.
“A bipartisan, bicameral solution is the only way forward,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. She and other Democrats condemned the cuts in aid to Ukraine.
McCarthy, a California Republican, will be forced to rely on Democrats for passage because the speaker’s far right has said it will oppose any short-term measures. McCarthy is working on a voting process that would require a two-thirds supermajority, or about 290 votes, in the 435-member House to pass. Republicans won a majority of 221 to 212, leaving two seats open.
Far-right lawmakers warned that relying on Democratic votes and abandoning the right would jeopardize McCarthy’s position as Speaker. They will almost certainly quickly introduce a motion to try to remove McCarthy from the office, although it is not at all certain there will be enough votes to oust the speaker.
“If someone wants to get rid of me because I want to be the adult in the room, go ahead and try,” McCarthy said of the threat to evict him. “But I think this country is too important.”
McCarthy had previously planned to pass a Republican-only bill that would have slashed spending for most government agencies by up to 30%, but the White House and Democrats rejected it as too extreme, and the plan failed on Friday.
“Our options are disappearing by the minute,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, a senior Republican.
Meanwhile, the Senate is moving forward with its package with support from both Democrats and Republicans.
“Congress has only one option to avoid a government shutdown – bipartisanship,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
senate republican leader Mitch McConnell Kentucky’s governor echoed those sentiments, warning his own far-right colleagues that nothing good would come from shutting down the federal government.
“This creates unnecessary hardship for the American people and the brave men and women who keep us safe,” McConnell said.
The federal government is moving towards Directly enter shutdown state That creates severe uncertainty for federal workers in every state across the country and the people who rely on them — from the military to border control agents to office workers, scientists and others.
Families who rely on Head Start, food benefits and countless other programs large and small Face potential disruptions or outright shutdowns. At airports, Transportation Security Administration officers and air traffic controllers are expected to work without pay, but travelers may face delays in renewing their U.S. passports or other travel documents.
McCarthy’s earlier plan to keep the government open failed Friday amid opposition from some factions. 21 extreme right diehards This is despite significant spending cuts of nearly 30% at many agencies and strict border security regulations.
The White House rejected McCarthy’s offer to meet with Biden after McCarthy left the White House. debt deal They helped determine budget levels earlier this year.
To appeal to his far-right base, McCarthy restored spending limits that conservatives had demanded in January as part of a deal to help him Become Speaker of the House of Representatives.
After Friday’s vote, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a leading Republican critic of McCarthy, said the speaker’s bill “will go down the drain as I’ve told you all week.”
Some Republican die-hards, including Gaetz, are allies of former President Trump, Biden’s main rival in the 2024 election. Trump has been encouraging Republicans to fight hard for their priorities and even “shut it down.”
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