House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed Sunday that the government will once again avoid a government shutdown when the recent spending patch runs out in November — and also hinted he won’t support a funding bill for Ukraine without first moving to secure the U.S. border. Mexico.
“No, because the House is doing their work. We’ve done more than 70% of it,” McCarthy, 58, said when asked about the possibility of a future government shutdown during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Congress on Saturday passed a continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown and keep the lights on until Nov. 17, six days before Thanksgiving.
The continuing resolution takes time, but Congress still needs to pass 12 appropriations bills to keep the government running.
So far, the GOP-led House has passed four appropriations bills, which McCarthy said account for about 70% of the spending. The Democratic-led Senate passed nothing.
Kevin McCarthy threw almost everything at the wall to avoid a shutdown. When GOP hardliners didn’t want to play ball, he came up with a clean bill to win Democratic support. The Washington Post via Getty Images
There is a big gap between the House and the Senate on top line numbers.
The Senate has come close to the $1.59 trillion discretionary level agreed upon during the debt ceiling shutdown in May. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, at the behest of GOP hardliners, has expressed interest in lowering spending.
Democrats have been keen to hold Republicans to an agreed-upon number from the debt ceiling negotiations.
“We will not surrender to the Senate. We passed what the American people wanted,” McCarthy declared Sunday.
The CR patch passed the House on Saturday 335 to 91, with only one Democrat and then only one Republican opposed.Getty Images
After numerous attempts to pass a continuing resolution with conservative wish-list items such as deep cuts and a border security package on fire, McCarthy presented a “clean” bill to fund the government for about 47 days and allocate $16 billion for domestic disaster relief.
Absent from the compromise agreement was additional support for Ukraine, but the Democratic leadership showed a separate add-on package will come to vote at some point.
This has angered GOP groups that do not want limited funding for the war-torn country.
“The priority for me is America and our borders. Now I support being able to make sure Ukraine has the weapons they need. But I strongly support the border first,” McCarthy said Sunday.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffires doubts whether he will save Kevin McCarthy from an upcoming coup attempt.AFP via Getty Images
“There will be no big package if the border is not secure,” he added.
The speaker stressed that he wants key border security policies in the GOP-passed Secure Border Act of 2023 such as finishing the wall and reforming the asylum process.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a perennial thorn in McCarthy’s side, announced plans Sunday to submit a motion to vacate the seat — or oust the speaker — this week.
Matt Gaetz blasted Kevin McCarthy for coming up with a clean CR and claimed the speaker didn’t live up to his deal with conservatives in January.AFP via Getty Images
Republicans have a four-seat majority – down one seat due to the resignation of former Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Ut.) – from January when McCarthy struggled to lock the gavel with no votes left.
“Bring it. Let’s get over it,” McCarthy said in response. “Gaetz is trying to work with the Democrats, he’s contacted Swalwell, the AOC, and others. But if that’s the way we’re going to govern, I don’t think America is going to succeed.”
The last time a previous speaker faced a motion to vacate was in 1910, although there was one complaint against then-Speaker John Boehner in 2015.AFP via Getty Images
The motion to vacate and remove McCarthy would need to win majority support, which is within the realm of possibility given the expected Democratic vote against him.
Most Republicans in both houses of Congress have supported McCarthy.
“I think Kevin is the right man at the right time. The only way he’s going to lose his job is if a handful of Republicans join forces with the Democratic Party to fire him,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told “Face the Nation.”
“That would be a disaster for the future of the Republican Party.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
