House Republicans eye short-term spending deal as shutdown looms

With a possible partial government shutdown coming in two weeks, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy indicated on Sunday that he will put a defence budget package to a vote “win or lose” this week, despite opposition from conservative Republican colleagues. McCarthy is battling to bring fiscal 2024 spending legislation to the House floor, with Republicans divided by conservative demands for spending to be slashed to $1.47 trillion in 2022 – $120 billion less than McCarthy agreed to with Biden in May.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus and the more moderate Main Street Caucus announced a deal late Sunday on a short-term stopgap bill to keep the government open until October 31 but with a more than 8% cut in spending on agencies other than the Departments of Defence and Veterans Affairs.

The bill, which is unlikely to pass, also includes conservative curbs on immigration and the US-Mexico border. It does not contain financing for Ukraine, as requested by Biden.

Republicans have said that such an agreement may allow the House to vote on the defence funding package this week.

However, it was unclear whether the measure had sufficient Republican support to pass the chamber. The spending cuts were also likely to draw opposition from Democrats in the House and Senate, who reject the immigration provisions.

Republicans hold a narrow 221-212 majority in the chamber as they bicker over overspending and pursue a new impeachment drive against President Joe Biden while the United States faces a possible fourth partial government shutdown in a decade.

McCarthy has begun to face calls for floor action seeking his ouster from hardline conservatives and others who have accused him of failing to keep promises he made to become speaker in January after a revolt from some of the most conservative Republicans in the House.

The Republican-controlled House and Democratic-led Senate have until Oct. 1 to avoid a partial shutdown by enacting appropriations bills that Biden, a Democrat, can sign into law, or by passing a short-term stopgap spending measure to give lawmakers more time for debate.

McCarthy signaled a tougher stand with hardliners, telling the Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures” program that he would bring the stalled defense bill to the floor this week. The House last week postponed a vote on beginning debate on the defense appropriations bill due to opposition from the hardliners.

“We’ll bring it to the floor, win or lose, and show the American public who’s for the Department of Defense, who’s for our military,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy also said he wants to make sure there is no shutdown on Oct. 1, saying: “A shutdown would only give strength to the Democrats.”

McCarthy has held closed-door discussions over the weekend aimed at overcoming a roadblock by the conservative hardliners to spending legislation. They want assurances that legislation will include their deep spending cuts, as well as conservative policy priorities including provisions related to tighter border security that are unlikely to secure Democratic votes.

“We made some good progress,” McCarthy said.

Representative Elise Stefanik, the No. 4 House Republican, told the “Fox News Sunday” program that she was optimistic about moving forward on appropriations after closed-door discussions.

But Republican Representative Nancy Mace told ABC’s “This Week” that she expects a shutdown and did not rule out support for a vote to oust McCarthy’s ouster. Mace complained that the speaker has not made good on promises to her involving action on women’s issues and gun violence.

“Everything’s on the table at this point for me,” Mace said.

Mace played down the consequences of a shutdown, saying much of the government would remain in operation and that the hiatus would give government workers time off with back pay at a later date.

Democratic former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a shutdown would risk harming the most vulnerable members of society who depend on government assistance.

“We’re talking about diminishing even something as simple and fundamental as feeding the children,” Pelosi told MSNBC. “We have to try to avoid it.”