McCarthy’s Final Attempt to Prevent Government Shutdown Fails, Virtually Ensuring Closure

27

The last-resort effort led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to avert a temporary shutdown of the federal government met a dramatic end on Friday. A strong faction of ultra-conservative Republicans declined to back the proposal, virtually assuring that a shutdown is imminent.

Despite featuring significant expenditure reductions—around 30% cuts for numerous agencies—and stringent border security measures, McCarthy’s conservative wing of the Republican Party rejected the legislative package, deeming it inadequate.

Both the White House and the Democratic Party dismissed the Republican plan as overly radical. The measure failed in a 198-232 vote, with 21 extreme-right Republicans voting against it, joining the Democrats in their opposition.

The bill’s failure occurs just a day ahead of the Saturday deadline to secure funding for the government. This leaves scant alternatives to avoid a shutdown, which will result in the furloughing of federal employees, the military working without remuneration, and the interruption of essential services affecting millions of Americans.

An evidently distressed McCarthy exited the House chamber, commenting to reporters, “This is not the conclusion; I have alternative plans.”

The episode gravely endangers McCarthy’s position as Speaker of the House, at a pivotal time when the government is on the brink of a crisis. Even this failed legislation—which proposed an immediate one-third reduction in spending for many agencies—failed to appease the far-right elements that have destabilized his leadership.

Republican leaders scheduled a confidential meeting for late Friday to discuss their future course of action.

As midnight Saturday approaches, the federal government is on a direct course toward a shutdown. This would result in the suspension of pay for 2 million military personnel, lead to federal worker furloughs, and create disruptions in government programs and services upon which Americans across the country rely.

Meanwhile, the Senate has been advancing its own bipartisan plan to prevent the shutdown, which includes provisions for aid to Ukraine and U.S. disaster relief funds. However, this becomes irrelevant given the political disarray in the House.

The White House has been dismissive of McCarthy’s attempts to negotiate with President Joe Biden, particularly after McCarthy withdrew from a previously agreed-upon debt deal that established budget parameters.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated, “The Senate has already provided a bipartisan path forward to fund the government; House Republicans simply need to accept it.”

Attempting to cater to his extreme-right colleagues, McCarthy had reverted to the spending restrictions they had demanded earlier in the year as part of negotiations that helped him attain the role of House Speaker.

The failed legislative package would not have reduced funding for the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, or Homeland Security. However, it would have made drastic cuts of up to 30% to almost every other agency. It also proposed severe border security enhancements, including resuming the construction of the southern border wall with Mexico and forming a bipartisan debt commission.

Before the voting commenced, McCarthy essentially challenged his dissenting colleagues to voice their opposition a day before the almost-guaranteed shutdown.

When queried about his chances of passing the bill, McCarthy responded, “We shall see.”

Upon the start of the floor debate, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a key critic within the Republican Party, announced his intention to vote against the package. The faction led by Gaetz has been considering a move to oust McCarthy from his Speaker position unless he accommodates their conservative stipulations.

After the vote, Gaetz remarked that the Speaker’s bill “failed as spectacularly as I had predicted.”

Republican members expressed astonishment at the margin by which the bill was defeated. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) posited that this episode would likely rally support around the Speaker, attributing the dysfunction not to leadership but to individual members.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, lambasted the proposed cuts in the Republican bill, describing them as damaging to law enforcement, education, and food security for millions. She warned that the failure to pass a funding bill would lead to “grave consequences for the American people.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about government shutdown

More about government shutdown

• CNN Politics Article