US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s eleventh-hour attempt to temporarily avert a federal government shutdown collapsed on Friday, with hard-right Republican holdouts rejecting the proposed package. This rejection has left the prospect of a government shutdown almost inevitable, news agency Associate Press (AP) reported. Despite McCarthy’s efforts, his right-wing Republican colleagues refused to throw their support behind the bill.
The proposal, which included deep spending cuts of nearly 30% for numerous agencies and stringent border security provisions, was deemed inadequate by the hard-right faction, as per AP’s report.
The White House and Democrats swiftly dismissed the Republican approach as excessively extreme, further heightening the standoff, the report mentioned.
With just one day left before Saturday’s deadline to secure government funding, the failure of the bill has left few options on the table to prevent a shutdown. Such an event would result in federal workers being furloughed, the military continuing to work without pay, and disruptions to programs and services affecting millions of Americans.
The consequences of this outcome also cast a shadow over McCarthy’s position as House Speaker, as he now finds himself with limited political influence during this critical juncture that has pushed the US government into a state of crisis.
Prior to the vote, McCarthy seemingly challenged his holdout colleagues to oppose the package, a day before the near-certain shutdown was set to occur. The House bill had aimed to maintain government operations until October 31.
McCarthy, a Republican, stated at the Capitol, “Every member will have to go on record where they stand,” when asked about the prospects of the bill passing, as per AP. In response to inquiries about having enough votes, McCarthy responded with a cryptic, “We’ll see.”
However, as soon as the floor debate commenced, McCarthy’s chief Republican critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, declared that he would be voting against the package. Gaetz argued that the bill’s border security provisions were insufficient and urged his fellow lawmakers to “not surrender”, the report stated.
The US federal government now hurtles toward a shutdown that will take effect after midnight on Saturday. This impending shutdown will have far-reaching consequences, leaving 2 million military personnel without pay and resulting in the furlough of federal workers. It will also disrupt crucial government services and programs that are relied upon by Americans across the nation, AP reported.
While the Senate is forging ahead with its own broadly bipartisan plan, favored by both Republicans and Democrats, to keep the government operational and to provide additional support for Ukraine and U.S. disaster relief, the House has descended into political turmoil as its hard-right faction has seized control.
Despite McCarthy’s attempts to engage with President Joe Biden, the White House has rebuffed his overtures. This standoff followed McCarthy’s withdrawal from a debt deal earlier this year, an agreement that had set budget levels. The uncertainty looms as the nation braces for the looming government shutdown.