A group of House Republicans scuttled a vote to advance the annual defense spending bill on Tuesday, delivering another setback for Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 

The House failed to advance the Department of Defense spending measure in a 212-214 vote with five members of the House Freedom Caucus joining all Democrats in voting against the bill.

The GOP defections blocked what should be a layup for Republicans and underscored the bitter divide that is pushing Congress toward a partial government shutdown on Sept. 30.

Mr. McCarthy pulled the same bill from a vote last week over concerns it did not have enough votes to pass. 

The House has only passed one of the 12 annual spending bills that keep the government running.

This latest setback for Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, comes as he also struggles to get the necessary votes to pass a stopgap spending resolution to keep the government open after Sept. 30 and give lawmakers time to negotiate a full-year funding bill.

• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washigtontimes.com.