House Conservatives Reveal Conditions to Back Spending Bill and Prevent Shutdown

A faction of House conservatives, known as the Freedom Caucus, has disclosed their conditions that they require to be met within a provisional spending bill to ensure the federal government continues operations past September’s end.

These stipulations present significant difficulties for the Democratic-led Senate and the White House, highlighting the obstacles that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy may encounter in the upcoming month to pass the legislation in the House without losing considerable support within his own party.

In the past, the Freedom Caucus has seldom backed short-term government funding measures, but the Republicans’ slim five-seat majority in the House grants this group substantial influence over legislative priorities. However, it is probable that McCarthy will need to secure Democratic support to pass a temporary funding arrangement that can also be approved by the Senate and become law.

The House Freedom Caucus has laid out the following stipulations:

— Allocation of funds less than the maximum amounts that McCarthy had previously consented to with President Joe Biden as part of legislation to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.

— Integration of legislation intended to augment the southern border wall and limit asylum for those in the U.S. who claim a fear of persecution or harm.

— Addressing what they term as the “extraordinary misuse of the Justice Department and FBI” in performing political inquiries referred to as “witch hunts.”

— Opposition to an unrestricted allocation for Ukraine. The White House has requested more than $13 billion for emergency defense assistance and an additional $8 billion for humanitarian aid in support of Ukraine against Russia’s incursion.

The House Freedom Caucus has summarized its stance as “No Security, No Funding.” Some members have advocated for a halt in government work to enforce reductions in non-defense spending, a move not universally supported within the Republican party due to potential voter backlash.

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After Labor Day, legislators will reconvene in Washington, and the short time frame until the new fiscal year begins on October 1 will likely preclude approval of all 12 government funding bills. McCarthy has recently suggested a temporary bridge to provide both the House and Senate additional time to negotiate the final spending levels for the year.

Should Congress fail to enact the spending bills by January 1, it could lead to an automatic 1% spending cut for the year, effective at April’s end.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has expressed that Senate Democrats support the passage of a short-term spending bill.

He declared, “We hope that our House Republicans will understand that any funding resolution must be bipartisan, or they risk the closure of the government.”

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