Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing a challenging task of garnering enough Republican support to prevent a government shutdown. McCarthy has proposed a bill that would maintain government funding at reduced levels while imposing immigration restrictions favored by conservatives. However, at least 10 hard-right lawmakers have already declared their opposition to any stopgap measure, effectively closing off McCarthy’s easiest route to avoid a shutdown. The House Republicans are now focusing on appeasing the hard right by adding conservative amendments to individual spending bills, although these bills are unlikely to pass in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
The House Republicans who are opposing a temporary spending measure, known as a continuing resolution or “C.R.,” include Matt Gaetz of Florida, who wants to permanently end the use of continuing resolutions and instead pass individual spending bills. Tim Burchett of Tennessee criticizes his Republican colleagues for supporting Democratic spending priorities and calls for breaking the vicious spending cycle. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has been vocal in her opposition to a continuing resolution, preferring single subject spending bills. Overall, these House Republicans are united in their opposition to a temporary fix and are pushing for the passage of individual spending bills instead.
The inclusion of conservative amendments to the spending bills further complicates the situation, as these bills are already unlikely to pass in the Senate. The House Republicans opposing a continuing resolution argue that it perpetuates the cycle of temporary funding and that passing individual spending bills is a more responsible approach. This opposition from within his own party puts McCarthy in a difficult position, as he can only afford to lose a small number of Republican votes without turning to Democrats for support, which would risk his speakership. The prospects of avoiding a government shutdown are uncertain, and tensions within the Republican Party continue to rise.
