The House Freedom Caucus raised the risk of an Oct. 1 US government shutdown with demands for spending cuts and conditions on money for Ukraine in exchange for their support of stopgap spending legislation.
(Bloomberg) — The House Freedom Caucus raised the risk of an Oct. 1 US government shutdown with demands for spending cuts and conditions on money for Ukraine in exchange for their support of stopgap spending legislation.
The demands, made Monday by several dozen conservatives, would face strong Democratic opposition and threaten to sink a so-called continuing resolution that leaders in both parties have said will be necessary to avert a partial shutdown after the current fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
These conservatives, who have battled with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have outsized influence in the House, where Republicans hold only a narrow majority.
McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have said any stopgap spending bill would be temporary, to give the two chambers more time to negotiate final spending bills by the end of the calendar year.
The Freedom Caucus, however, said it would oppose a “clean” stop-gap bill that continues current spending levels and policies they oppose. They also said they would oppose any additional separate funding — including through a proposed supplemental spending package — that could be used as a “blank check” for continued Ukraine support.
“We will oppose any attempt by Washington to revert to its old playbook of using a series of short-term funding extensions designed to push Congress up against a December deadline to force the passage of yet another monstrous, budget busting, pork filled, lobbyist handout omnibus spending bill at year’s end,” the caucus said in a statement.
The group has blasted leaders in both parties for using what they consider budgetary gimmicks to make end runs around spending levels agreed to in the debt-ceiling negotiations earlier this year.
August Recess
The group also wants policy changes, such as inclusion in the CR of Republican border-security legislation and language to “address the unprecedented weaponization of the Justice Department and FBI.”
The House has passed just one of its 12 annual spending measures. The full Senate hasn’t passed any of the bills, though the Appropriations Committee has cleared all spending bills with bipartisan support.
Lawmakers are out of town until next month for the summer recess.
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