As key House Republicans persist in their legislative demands even as government funding threatens to end in many areas within mere days, they’re even pushing back on a short-term solution devised and advanced in the Senate that would temporarily extend past approvals for funding so the government can remain operational.
One of the impacts that would follow a shutdown that has been particularly highlighted is how government personnel’s paychecks would be upended, creating new and unnecessary hurdles for many individuals upon whom the nation relies. The Senate’s proposal to curtail that possibility is what’s called a continuing resolution. Reportedly, House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) wanted to add some of the chamber’s Republicans’ border security provisions to the Senate’s framework, pointing specifically to a bill from the House GOP that contains predictable priorities, like the advancement of border wall construction.
Though it may take days for the Senate to enact final approval for their continuing resolution, a vote already held on moving forward with it showed a large majority of the chamber in support. In the House, a bipartisan coalition could therefore be expected to similarly propel the CR to passage there — but McCarthy won’t be bringing it forward for an actual vote by the chamber, potentially forcing the government into a shutdown because of the lack of other deals.
“It is undemocratic, unpatriotic, and a dereliction of duty for the Speaker of the House to prevent a vote on a bipartisan solution approved by 3/4 of the Senate when 3/4 of the House is standing at the ready to prevent an expensive and painful shutdown. Absurd and inexcusable,” Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said this week.
It’s widely expected that the insistence from certain House Republicans on their extreme policy priorities will result in a shutdown, because only days are left and they’re way out there, policy-wise. Some of the options circulating from Republicans have included cuts to nutritional assistance for women and children, cuts to housing support that’s provided to low-income individuals, and a rollback of the decision from the Food and Drug Administration to allow the abortion drug mifepristone to be distributed via retail pharmacies.
It is undemocratic, unpatriotic, and a dereliction of duty for the Speaker of the House to prevent a vote on a bipartisan solution approved by 3/4 of the Senate when 3/4 of the House is standing at the ready to prevent an expensive and painful shutdown. Absurd and inexcusable. https://t.co/XgHAVp2RwK
— Rep. Dean Phillips 🇺🇸 (@RepDeanPhillips) September 27, 2023
