House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) remains hopeful for a breakthrough as the nation heads toward a partial government shutdown in five days.
The House and Senate will reconvene Tuesday after taking a long break over a three-day weekend and the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur with all eyes on McCarthy to find a way to break the deadlock in his chamber.
“Look, I believe in everything.” the speaker told reporters on Monday. “I never give up.”
McCarthy plans to continue his push for a stopgap spending bill this week to temporarily keep the government fully open while moving forward with individual appropriations bills intended to fund operations through next year.
Their previous attempts failed last week, when five Republican rebels joined with House Democrats to block any spending measure from moving forward.
Democrats have been slow to throw a lifeline to McCarthy and he appears reluctant to accept it as Republican rebels introduce a motion to unseat him.
A large majority of Kevin McCarthy’s Republican conference favors a CR to avoid a shutdown, but a small group of holdouts are strongly opposed.Getty Images
“I’ve never seen a group as hell-bent on a shutdown as these crazy MAGA Republicans, that little group,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told CNN last week.
“I still have hope. I remain optimistic that once the Senate acts in a bipartisan manner [way] …that perhaps the House will follow our example.”
Schumer has signaled that he could work with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to pass a spending patch, which would likely need 60 votes.
Chuck Schumer has been working with his Republican colleagues to gauge interest in a CR, which is expected to have few if any conditions. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
At that point, McCarthy would have the option of whether or not to put it to a vote in the House and shake up his right flank.
However, the Senate has also been unable to pass any appropriations bills so far after a so-called “minibus” package failed last week.
Meanwhile, the White House, facing polls showing Americans are dissatisfied with President Biden, has stepped up its attacks on the Republican Party on Capitol Hill.
“This will be a Republican shutdown,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted to reporters Monday. “This shouldn’t be happening.”
An ABC-Washington Post poll released Sunday found that 40% of registered voters would primarily blame Democrats for a government shutdown, while 33% would blame Republicans. The Washington Post called its own poll an “outlier.”
Over the weekend, top House Republicans reportedly drafted another interim resolution that included even more dramatic cuts than those previously negotiated by the conservative Freedom Caucus and the more centrist Main Street Caucus.
The newest version would see a 27% reduction in non-Pentagon and non-Veterans Affairs discretionary spending. according to Bloombergcompared to the 8% reduction of the previous agreement, and practically guarantees its failure in the Senate or Biden’s veto.
While the Freedom Caucus-Main Street Caucus compromise would have funded the government until October 31, the speech presented over the weekend would have kept the lights on until November 15.
Matt Gaetz is reportedly considering running for governor of Florida. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
McCarthy’s delicate attempt to disassociate himself from Republican rebels was dealt a blow Sunday by former President Donald Trump, who wrote in Truth Social of a possible shutdown: “Whoever is president will be blamed, in this case, the corrupt one ( like hell!) Joe Biden! “
“UNLESS YOU GET EVERYTHING, SHUT IT UP!” he added in capital letters.
Hardliners, such as McCarthy’s chief Republican firebrand, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), have insisted they will not vote for any continuing resolution.
Republican presidential hopefuls are also commenting on the stalemate. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has encouraged dissidents to stand firm, while former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley argued Monday that a partial shutdown would only hurt taxpayers.
The White House has been keen to make the political fallout of a shutdown as painful as possible for Republicans.Getty Images
“It is irresponsible and inexcusable that they allow the government to shut down. It is also irresponsible and inexcusable not to cut all spending,” he told Bloomberg Television.
Moderate Republicans fear the political consequences of a shutdown, but hardliners seem to believe they will reap the political rewards.
“People in my district are willing to shut down the government for a more conservative fiscal policy that will put us on track to balance our budget in at least ten years,” said Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.). told Fox News Sunday night.
Marjorie Taylor Greene helped Kevin McCarthy win the presidency in January, but she is drawing a hard line on aid to Ukraine. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
“I think the only way a CR will pass is with Democratic votes,” said Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.). he told Semafor.
With a CR bill drafted but out of reach for now, McCarthy is trying to move forward with appropriations bills, the traditional avenue for funding the government.
He previously pledged to approve all 12 individually, a key demand of Gaetz and other far-right lawmakers during the marathon battle for the Speaker’s gavel in January. So far, the House has only approved one.
A government shutdown would likely cost taxpayers billions of dollars. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
But holdout Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is thwarting plans to advance the rest, promising to vote against the rules of those bills until aid to Ukraine is completely eliminated.
Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) expressed his willingness to support a motion to vacate the presidency and unseat McCarthy, something Gaetz has openly threatened to introduce.
Given that Republicans only have a four-seat majority in the House, that could pose an existential threat to McCarthy’s presidency.
“I’m not worried about someone filing a motion,” McCarthy told reporters Monday. “I don’t care if someone votes no. “I will wake up every day with the same thing that drives my opinion on what needs to be done.”
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