Senators are looking to restart debates this week regarding bipartisan funding bills, putting pressure on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to make the first move toward avoiding a government shutdown.
Tuesday marks the Senate's first procedural votes on a nearly $280 billion government funding package with broad bipartisan support. Lawmakers hope the legislation will display a united front amid the current spending standoff with House Republicans.
Averting a Government Shutdown
Additionally, the two chambers snipe over a deal that will keep the American government running past the Sept. 30 deadline. Congressional leaders also agree they need a stopgap bill to accomplish such a feat.
However, House conservatives are already agitating to make passage of such a funding patch impossible without significant concessions that would never get to United States President Joe Biden's desk.
But Republican senators still wish to see McCarthy pass his version first, and even Democratic lawmakers acknowledge that they are waiting to see the House speaker's next move. In a statement on Monday night, Sen. Lindsey Graham said that they should let the House have a chance at addressing the issue, as per Politico.
On Tuesday afternoon, the House Freedom Caucus also plans to hammer home its funding demands with conservative groups outside the Capitol. McCarthy's right flank has also called for billions of dollars in additional spending cuts and major policy changes.
These include GOP reforms at the southern border in exchange for funding the government or measures that would cut budgets at Biden's Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
House GOP leaders also hope to alleviate their fractious conference and pass a funding bill for the Pentagon later this week. However, even if they can manage that particular legislation, it is expected not to have a chance of passing the Senate. Additionally, the White House already threatened to veto the bill.
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Discussing Bipartisan Funding Bills
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a frequent critic of McCarthy, planned to deliver a floor speech on Tuesday. According to the New York Times, he sought to outline the arch-conservative case against the House speaker, laying the groundwork for a potential move to oust him.
The criticism was set to cover what Gaetz and many others see as the House speaker's failure to live up to his promises to win the speakership. These include his handling of the budget process and ongoing investigations focusing on Biden and his family.
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota said that lawmakers have "really heavy lifting ahead," adding that McCarthy will have his hands full trying to figure out how to navigate and execute a solution to the current issue.
In McCarthy's nearly two decades in office, Congress has been in similar situations in the past, but now, the stakes are even higher. This comes as Republicans are powered by an increasingly hard-right faction refusing to allow business as usual in Washington.
The House speaker's right flank, receiving support from former United States President Donald Trump, pushed McCarthy into the speaker's office earlier this year. The decision was made only after the Republicans agreed to a long list of conservative demands, said the Associated Press.
