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House Heads Towards Government Shutdown Over Stopgap Spending Bill Stalemate
As the GOP leadership and certain conservatives argue over a short-term budget proposal, the House is moving closer to a government shutdown.
A short-term spending plan, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), has been promoted by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and others who support him. This proposal would include expenditure reductions and H.R.2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, the border security bill that was approved by the House. The Act reduces domestic spending, with the exception of defense and healthcare for veterans.
The proposed legislation will be discussed by the House Rules Committee on Monday, with a floor vote scheduled for Thursday.
Along with more moderate members of the Main Street Caucus, the House Freedom Caucus produced the proposal.
Conservatives have expressed skepticism toward the concept, though. Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), and Ralph Norman (R-SC) may abstain from voting on the measure.
“No CR. Pass the damn approps bills,” Bishop wrote.
Gaetz said he will not “support this 167-page surrender to Joe Biden.” Rosendale called the plan a “continuation of Nancy Pelosi’s budget and Joe Biden’s budget.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wrote, “I’m a NO.” Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) wrote, “NO.”
If Congress fails not enact a government financing package by September 30th, the federal government will shut down.
In the event that all Democrats oppose the measure, House Republicans can afford to lose no more than four votes.
McCarthy and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) have time to make changes to the proposal to get any holdouts to the table with a vote anticipated on Thursday. The debt ceiling agreement that was reached to alleviate the default crisis, however, left some of these conservatives “burned.”
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