Republican machinations in the House are about to shut down the federal government, unless something drastic happens quickly.
On Friday, the House voted down a proposal from Republicans in the chamber to temporarily keep things functioning federally — with dramatic spending cuts attached. The proposal, as it stood, was unlikely to pass the Senate considering the extremity of the (for now) short-term cuts, but Republicans — who hold the majority in the House — couldn’t even pass what they wanted.
A group of far-right House Republicans voted against the short-term measure’s approval, sticking instead to their demands for the longer-term funding process in which they’re pushing various sets of policy ambitions — some of which are also failing. The House voted down this week a long-term federal funding bill that would have reestablished certain restrictions around the distribution of mifepristone, a prescription drug used in medication abortion.
“1. Who is causing the government to shutdown? Extreme MAGA Republicans,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “2. Why? They want to cut social security, slash school funding and criminalize abortion. 3. What just happened? MAGA Republicans are in so much chaos that they defeated their own stopgap funding bill.”
Republicans in the House are clamoring for other extreme ambitions as well. House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) spoke earlier about wanting short-term funding provisions modified with some of the House GOP’s border security wishes, like a jump-start to construction of a southern border wall and evidently a reestablishment of the remain in Mexico program, which compelled migrants seeking asylum in the United States to wait in potentially dangerous conditions while their cases were processed. And lingering through all of this is an open threat from far-right Republicans to seek McCarthy’s removal from the Speaker position, which wouldn’t have a clear-cut resolution, since Democrats would likely be again pushing their own party’s House leader, while Republicans would presumably be divided like in January.
1. Who is causing the government to shutdown?
Extreme MAGA Republicans.
2. Why?
They want to cut social security, slash school funding and criminalize abortion.
3. What just happened?
MAGA Republicans are in so much chaos that they defeated their own stopgap funding bill. https://t.co/TQ4xwVNuVK
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 29, 2023
