House Republicans eye short-term spending deal as US shutdown looms
- The Republican-controlled House and Democratic-led Senate have until October 1 to avoid a partial US shutdown
- US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s role as the top Republican in Congress is under threat from his party’s far right
With a possible partial government shutdown looming in two weeks, House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would bring a defence spending bill to a vote “win or lose” this week, despite resistance from hardline fellow Republicans.
McCarthy is struggling to bring 2024 spending legislation to the House floor, with Republicans fractured by conservative demands for spending to be cut to a 2022 level of US$1.47 trillion - US$120 billion below the spending on which McCarthy agreed with Biden in May.
Late on Sunday, members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus and the more moderate Main Street Caucus announced a deal on a short-term stopgap bill to keep the government open until October 31, but with a spending cut of more than 8 per cent on agencies apart from the Departments of Defence and Veterans Affairs.
The measure, which is unlikely to become law, also includes conservative restrictions on immigration and the US border with Mexico. It does not include funding for Ukraine, which Biden had requested.
Republicans have said that such a deal could allow the House to move forward on the defence spending bill this week.