McCarthy Cancels House Votes as GOP Infighting Risks Shutdown

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s attempts to unify Republicans around a plan to avert an Oct. 1 government shutdown foundered on Thursday, leading him to send lawmakers home for an extended weekend as the risk grew of a federal funding lapse.

(Bloomberg) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s attempts to unify Republicans around a plan to avert an Oct. 1 government shutdown foundered on Thursday, leading him to send lawmakers home for an extended weekend as the risk grew of a federal funding lapse.

Republican leaders told lawmakers they would receive “ample notice” if there are any votes before Tuesday. 

The House had aimed to vote Saturday on McCarthy’s latest government funding plan, which would mark the starting point of negotiations with the Senate.  

The decision came after a testy closed-door conference with Republicans Wednesday night failed to convince enough hardliners to support McCarthy’s latest proposal.

That turmoil spilled into Thursday, when McCarthy suffered his second public defeat on the floor this week. 

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