A deal reached by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Joe Biden ahead of the debt ceiling deadline in May is coming back to haunt him as Republicans quarrel over appropriations bills and grapple with a looming government shutdown.
Multiple House Republicans have claimed that McCarthy made serious commitments to them during his lengthy series of votes to become speaker of the House in January — now, those promises may hamper his ability to push through a spending deal ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, AND WHO IS AFFECTED?
Pre-COVID-19 spending levels
According to the House Freedom Caucus members, McCarthy committed to cutting spending significantly during the negotiations necessary to win him the speaker's gavel in January. This was revived in the spring when his deal with Biden was denounced by many of the members.
One ask of the caucus is that spending return to levels in place prior to COVID-19 spending, to fiscal 2022. Instead, in May, the president and speaker agreed to freeze federal spending at the 2023 levels. But hard-line members of McCarthy's party aren't budging on it.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) has said current spending levels aren't going to work for him and that any bills taken up by the House will need to feature spending cuts in order to be considered by him.
Regular order
Another promise McCarthy made to the conservative wing of his party was that appropriations bills would be passed in regular order, meaning no short-term funding bill to avert a government shutdown. But that's exactly what House Republicans are now looking at.
This is something McCarthy believes might be necessary in order to make progress on other Republican demands while also maintaining enough votes from House members to pass measures.
Regardless of a short-term bill to fund the government's contents, some Republicans have claimed they won't even entertain the prospect of a continuing resolution.
After a continuing resolution was negotiated by factions within the Republican Party, some were quick to express their opposition Sunday night. “I’m a NO,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). "No money for Ukraine, COVID, or weaponized Gov. America First!”
Motion to vacate
One concession McCarthy made in order to secure his role as speaker was agreeing to make it much easier to remove him. And now, as the spending battle intensifies, Republicans, namely Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), are planning to use this against him.
“Mr. Speaker, dust off our written January agreement. You have a copy," Gaetz said in a statement recently. "Begin to comply. No continuing resolutions, individual spending bills or bust votes on balanced budgets and term limits, subpoenas for Hunter Biden and the members of the Biden family who’ve been grifting off of this country, and the impeachment for Joe Biden that he so richly deserves."
"Do these things or face a motion to vacate the chair,” he threatened.
In January, the speaker agreed to allow just one representative the ability to call for a vote to oust him. A motion to vacate would force a vote from the House. Only a simple majority could approve the call to vacate the speaker's position.
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McCarthy apparently welcomed this during a private conference-only meeting. “If you want to file a motion to vacate, then file the f***ing motion," he said, according to Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL).
In an effort to avoid a shutdown, McCarthy claimed that when lawmakers return Monday, they won't be leaving until spending measures are passed in an effort to avoid a shutdown on Oct. 1. "When we come back, we're not going to leave. We're going to get this done. Nobody wins in a government shutdown. Nobody wins in a government shutdown. I've been here," he said.