Avoiding a government shutdown in the fall is critical to keeping the GOP investigations into Hunter Biden afloat, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) hinted Sunday.
“If we close, the entire government closes. The investigation and everything else hurts the American public. But if we are able to pass our appropriations bills, we are in a stronger position to eliminate those Pelosi policies that are enshrined in law,” McCarthy said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
McCarthy’s comments followed a lengthy discussion of congressional Republicans’ findings on Hunter Biden, in which host Maria Bartiromo asked if they could “dig deeper” into their investigation of the first family while also “fighting the Democrats and White House on Government Financing” by the September 30 Deadline.
Republicans and Democrats – during the debt ceiling frenzy in May – agreed to work to pass the traditional 12 annual appropriation bills to fund the government, rather than move toward a long-term continuing resolution or temporary funding measure. .
But McCarthy argued Sunday that Congress needs more time to pass the appropriations bills and pushed for a stopgap measure to avoid a shutdown.
“I don’t think we’ll have enough time to pass all the appropriations bills before September 30. So I’d really like to have a CR on short notice,” McCarthy stressed, referring to a continuing resolution.
Many observers doubted Kevin McCarthy’s ability to guide the slimmajority Republicans through the debt ceiling fight last spring.Getty Images
McCarthy is under intense pressure from his conservative wing, namely the Freedom Caucus, to extract more concessions from the Democrats than were obtained in the debt ceiling fight.
The Freedom Caucus has publicly opposed calls for a continued “clean” resolution with no strings attached.
President Biden signed the bipartisan debt ceiling bill, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, in early June to lift the nation’s borrowing authority and set limits on discretionary spending.
But Congress still needs to fund the government, or else there will be a shutdown during the next fiscal year, which begins in October.
Kevin McCarthy defended the debt ceiling deal and his support for a short-term CR bill to avoid a government shutdown.
Democrats have attacked attempts by hardline conservatives to win additional concessions after those made during the debt limit battle.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) recently praised McCarthy for backing a strike measure to buy more time to pass appropriations bills.
If Congress has a continuing resolution in place, instead of the 12 appropriations bills, effective January 1, 2024, there will be an automatic 1% cut for fiscal year 2024, pursuant to the Accountability Act. Fiscal.
President Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act into law last June.JIM WATSON/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Throughout recent history, Congress has relied on continual resolutions in the form of blanket bills to keep the government funded, so the return to the 12 appropriations bills was quite significant.
In addition to wading into the government shutdown fight, McCarthy, in Sunday’s interview, also touted revelations about the Biden family’s overseas businesses.
“We didn’t know about all those times the president lied to the American public,” McCarthy said. “The Democrats have told me that they are very concerned because they are endorsing this president based on what he told the United States. And every time it happens, we find out that that wasn’t true.”
McCarthy did not specify which Democrats raised concerns about the president.
Hunter Biden faces investigations from both congressional Republicans and new special counsel David Weiss.AP
He has also been evasive about whether or not he plans to launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden when Congress returns from recess in September.
McCarthy has previously indicated that Republicans can file an impeachment inquiry, which is different from launching impeachment proceedings, but has not yet specified a timeline.
The White House has disputed claims that Biden misled the public and accused Republicans to plunge into the “conspiracy hole.”
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