US Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has hinted at the potential avoidance of a government shutdown if Democratic Senators are willing to address immigration issues at the US-Mexico border within their stopgap funding measure.
McCarthy stated, “I talked this morning to some Democratic senators over there that are more aligned with what we want to do. They want to do something about the border,” as reported by Reuters. He added, “We’re trying to work to see, could we put some border provisions in that current Senate bill that would actually make things a lot better.”
However, McCarthy also revealed challenges in managing Republican legislators, stating (as quoted by AP), “Members say they only want to vote for individual bills, but they hold me up all summer and won’t let me bring individual bills up. Then they say they won’t vote for a stopgap measure that keeps the government open.”
In parallel developments, Democratic Senators recently passed a bipartisan stopgap funding bill aimed at preventing the fourth government shutdown in a decade, according to Reuters. This Senate measure extends federal spending until November 17 and authorizes approximately $6 billion each for domestic disaster response funding and aid to Ukraine for its defense against Russia.
The impending threat of a US government shutdown is rooted in a dispute over Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership. He is currently facing challenges from hardline Republicans, often referred to as the “Freedom Caucus,” for agreeing to spending limits in conjunction with President Joe Biden.
House Republicans have rejected the spending levels for fiscal year 2024 that were negotiated by Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden in May. The initial agreement entailed $1.59 trillion in discretionary spending for fiscal 2024.
The dissenting Republicans are demanding an additional $120 billion in cuts and the implementation of more stringent legislation to curtail immigration at the US-Mexico border.
Kevin McCarthy is grappling with significant pressure from his caucus to achieve their objectives. Several hardline members have threatened to remove McCarthy from his leadership position should he pass a spending bill that requires Democratic votes to pass.
The fate of the government’s funding and the possibility of a shutdown hinge on the ability of Democrats and Republicans to find common ground, particularly on contentious border immigration issues. The ongoing negotiations and internal party dynamics will play a pivotal role in determining the outcome in the coming weeks.