US government shutdown imminent, as Republicans reject own funding bill
- Hardliners rejected a bill backed by their leader, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, that would have extended funding by a month
- He is now seeking a stopgap bill, without funding cuts, trying to avert a government shutdown on Sunday
House Republicans were tentatively planning to push a rushed vote on Saturday on a temporary government spending measure that avoids cuts to federal agencies and provides billions to replenish the nation’s disaster funds.
Just hours away from a US government shutdown as existing funding expires at midnight, Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his lieutenants are presenting details of the bill to rank-and-file Republicans at a closed-door conference at 9:30am in Washington.
While the duration of the proposed bill to extend existing spending levels is not settled, it is likely to run for 45 days, a Republican official familiar with the discussions said.
There were no immediate details on how much funding would be attached toward the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund. No other strings are attached to the bill, the person said.
Even so, McCarthy cannot count on the measure to pass the House after his plan to keep the government open for 31 days – and temporarily cut funding for most agencies by 30 per cent – was embarrassingly defeated on Friday. Hardliners in his party joined Democrats in opposing it.
Democrats likely would not support the newly crafted proposal either, the official said. But McCarthy’s lieutenants believe it has a chance to pass in the narrowly divided House, while acknowledging it is difficult.