Progress on spending legislation was thwarted earlier this week after a handful of House Republicans sank the annual defense appropriations bill over frustrations with overall government spending proposals. Now, GOP leaders are exploring several alternatives to avert a government shutdown next month.
The House shot down a vote to begin debate on the annual defense appropriations bill on Tuesday after five Republicans joined all Democrats in sinking the measure, falling short of the majority threshold needed to advance the legislation. Meanwhile, hard-line conservatives are also pushing back against a stopgap spending measure that would fund the government for 31 days until a final agreement is reached.
AS GOP WRESTLES WITH SPENDING DEAL, WILL HOUSE DEMOCRATS COME TO THEIR AID?
Republican lawmakers met for an emergency meeting with the House majority whip’s office on Wednesday morning to discuss a path forward amid the intraparty dissension. Several members who have expressed opposition to the continuing resolution proposal, such as Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Bob Good (R-VA), are involved with the talks.
It’s not clear what progress has been made since the House adjourned on Tuesday, but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) expressed optimism to reporters on Wednesday morning that there was still plenty of time for a deal to materialize.
“It’s not Sept. 30 yet,” he said. “The game is not over.”
There are three possible paths Republicans appear to be considering ahead of the government shutdown deadline, although lawmakers remain “in flux,” one GOP aide told the Washington Examiner.
One possible option is to hold a vote on a deal announced by the House Freedom and Main Street caucuses late Sunday night that would keep the government funded throughout October and bring spending to $1.59 trillion — the spending level set in the bipartisan debt ceiling deal signed into law in June. However, more than a dozen House Republicans have come out in opposition to the deal, sending GOP leaders back to the drawing board to get all corners of their conference on board.
In response, Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) floated plans to introduce an amendment to that deal that would cut spending to $1.471 trillion, the number hard-line conservatives have repeatedly called for and appropriators have already marked up in spending bills for this year.
That amendment would flip at least three “no” votes to “yes,” according to a source familiar with the discussions. However, it may not be enough to pass the House with Republicans’ slim majority. (McCarthy can only afford to lose four votes if all Democrats vote against the measure.)
Meanwhile, as GOP leaders try to tie up loose ends with hard-line conservatives, centrist Republicans on the Problem Solvers Caucus are set to meet with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Wednesday to discuss a possible bipartisan deal on government spending.
Republicans and Democrats within the Problem Solvers Caucus have been having “ongoing conversations” about a possible bipartisan deal to fund the government temporarily until a budget is finalized, Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Marc Molinaro (R-NY) confirmed to the Washington Examiner. It’s not clear what such a deal would look like, but some GOP members are signaling the two parties could come to an agreement that includes key measures such as border security and disaster funding, according to lawmakers involved in the discussions.
However, Republicans have made it clear that such a deal would only be temporary, emphasizing their desire to pass all 12 appropriations bills individually as part of the budgetary process.
“A lot of Republicans want to solve all our spending in a CR. We need to solve that in appropriations bills. But we want to fix the border, [and] we’ve got to have disaster relief,” one GOP lawmaker said. “The spending should be handled mainly by the appropriations, yes. But I think we can do a lot of stuff with this [CR].”
Some Democrats have indicated they would be willing to negotiate with their GOP colleagues — but only if a final deal maintained current government spending levels and included provisions on Ukraine, disaster funding, and border security, Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said on Tuesday.
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Congress has until Sept. 30 to pass the budget for the next fiscal year, after which the government will run out of money and shut down until a deal is made. By then, lawmakers must advance 12 appropriations bills in each chamber before sending their final product to the president’s desk for approval, setting the stage for an arduous process as House Republicans and Senate Democrats disagree on top-line spending numbers.
It’s unclear when the House plans to reconvene to vote on the legislation, throwing the House into uncertainty as GOP leaders scramble to unify their party. Members were advised on Tuesday afternoon to keep their schedules “flexible” over the coming days, with a possibility lawmakers may need to meet over the weekend for votes.