Kevin McCarthy goes nuclear: Republican spokesman says there would be no spending chaos if Biden fixed the border and claims his critics are on the president’s side – as the Senate releases its own emergency funding bill
- The GOP leader said he will table a CR, or emergency budget bill, before Saturday to fund the government beyond Sept. 30
- The speaker can only afford to lose four Republican votes and still pass an intraparty CR full of spending cuts
- The Senate advocates for a “clean” CR without spending cuts, which McConnell has advocated
While the House remains divided, the Senate has released the text of a bill that would extend the deadline for a future government shutdown by six weeks.
The continuing resolution (CR), approved by both Senate leaders Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), would extend federal funding from September 30th to November 17th.
This includes over $6 billion in aid to Ukraine, which is sure to raise eyebrows from some conservatives in the House of Representatives. It also includes $6 billion for disaster relief and no border provisions.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy was noncommittal about whether he would ever give a Senate-authored CR a vote in the House. He also called for aid to Ukraine to be treated separately from emergency spending legislation.
While he said Tuesday he would bring an emergency funding bill to the table before Saturday, he said he would continue to advocate for a bill that includes border security.
The Senate CR would likely pass both the upper chamber and lower chamber with the votes of Democrats and some Republicans if the House GOP leadership puts it up for a vote.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed a “standard, short-term” stopgap bill in the Senate on Tuesday.
“Over the years, I’ve made it pretty clear that government shutdowns are bad news no matter how you look at them. “They don’t serve as a political bargaining chip,” the GOP leader said.
The Senate will advance the House’s FAA reauthorization bill on Tuesday, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will use to push a CR through the Senate.
Meanwhile, four days before a government shutdown, the knives are being drawn between Congress and the White House as McCarthy blames Joe Biden’s border policies and denounces right-wing Republicans who side with the president.
The GOP leader said he will submit a short-term continuation resolution (CR), or emergency budget proposal, before Saturday to fund the government beyond September 30, which will likely include provisions to strengthen border security.
“What concerns me is that there are people in the Republican Party who will take President Biden’s position, contrary to what the rest of Americans want,” McCarthy said Tuesday.
The speaker can only afford to lose four Republican votes and still pass an intraparty CR full of spending cuts.
More than four participants in his conference spoke out against a CR – most clearly McCarthy opponent Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. They insist the House makes the most progress on 12 spending bills on a single issue.
Four days before a government shutdown, the knives are drawn between Congress and the White House as Speaker McCarthy blames Joe Biden’s border policies and denounces right-wing Republicans who side with the president
McCarthy, who reached a debt limit agreement with President Biden that sets the highest spending figures for the 2024 fiscal year, is now asking to meet with him to finalize another agreement to keep the government funded.
“Why don’t we just make a deal with the president?” McCarthy told reporters who pressed him about when he would make a CR deal with Democrats in Congress.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday evening on a measure that would advance four of 12 budget bills, which could serve as a guide for the coming week. It’s not yet clear whether a handful of hardline Republicans will allow the rule to pass.
He then suggested that they could work together on funding as Biden sets his border policy — a seemingly unworkable compromise.
“Listen, the president, whatever he has to do…it’s just actions he has to take.” He can do it that way. He changed all policies at the border. “He can change that,” McCarthy said. “We can keep the government open and finish the work we’ve done.”
“What concerns me is that there are people in the Republican Party who will take President Biden’s position, contrary to what the rest of Americans want,” McCarthy said Tuesday
The number of border crossings in the 2023 fiscal year, which ends at the end of September, is expected to exceed 2022’s, after figures released Friday showed a 50,000 increase in apprehensions in the month of August.
In recent days, the Biden team has attacked Republicans for causing the shutdown: Biden warned voters to “stop voting for Republicans” if they can’t pass spending deals that keep the government open.