House’s Stopgap Spending Measure Faces Opposition

With appropriations bills facing an uphill battle in the House to gain agreement on funding levels and passage by the end of the fiscal year, some conservatives in the chamber are concerned about a stopgap spending measure being considered in order to have more time to negotiate the spending bills to avoid a government shutdown.  

According to The Hill, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told GOP lawmakers on a conference call Monday evening that “the House will likely have to pass a short-term solution known as a continuing resolution (CR).”  

McCarthy’s offering comes as the clock ticks loudly, with only 12 legislative days left before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The House will need more time to approve spending bills on the floor, as only one of the 12 appropriations bills has passed, with the Freedom Caucus demanding fiscal responsibility from leadership.  

“I just got off a member call – it’s clear President Biden and Speaker McCarthy want a government shutdown, so that’s what Congress will do after we return in September. Everyone should plan accordingly,” Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said on X. 

CNN reported:  

In a statement to CNN, Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican and member of the powerful House Rules Committee, said he would “under no circumstances” support a continuing resolution to fund the government at “the bloated, corrupt 2023 levels … and in particular, that funds (the Department of Homeland Security) and (Justice Department) without massive, immediate, actionable reforms.”  

“This is especially true if it were to stupidly expire in December. I might-might support a short series of 24-hour CRs to create maximum pain for Congress to do its damned job, which by the way – we could be doing in Washington right now,” Roy said. 

With Republicans holding on to a slim majority in the House, they may need support from Democrats if fiscally conservative Republican members vote against the continuing resolution. The Hill shared that “even before a vote on the final bill, hardline Republicans could potentially sink the stopgap if they vote against a procedural rule to allow its consideration on the floor.” 

Concerned Republican representatives spoke out on McCarthy’s plan to avoid a shutdown, making sure the speaker knows he will face a rough road in seeking the CR’s passage when Congress returns from their summer break. 

Congressman Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) wrote on X, “I WILL NOT vote for any continuing resolution that doesn’t smash Biden’s DOJ into a million pieces. The DOJ has very rapidly become the enemy of the American people, and if nothing is done soon, our rights will be GONE. We MUST defund it!!” 

CNN shared that Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) “told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday that he wouldn’t want a continuing resolution that went any longer than a matter of weeks, saying his preference was just two weeks.” 

According to the Los Angeles Times: 

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the two leaders had spoken about such a temporary measure. It would extend federal funding operations into December to allow more time to work on the annual spending bills. 

“I thought it was a good thing that he recognized that we need a CR,” Schumer told reporters on a call. 

“We hope that our House Republicans will realize that any funding resolution has to be bipartisan or they will risk shutting down the government,” he said. 

Passing a continuing resolution would give lawmakers the opportunity to work out agreeable spending measures before the funding deadline. However, if the House and Senate can’t agree on the spending bills for fiscal year 2024 by Jan. 1, a provision in the debt limit bill passed earlier this year will kick in automatically, cutting spending across the board by one percent. 

As The Hill reported:  

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) suggested that the one percent cut provision could actually be preferable to Democrats and the White House over cutting spending to be more appealing to hardline conservative Republicans. 

“We had a conference call today with the Republicans about how important passing our appropriations bills are because it positions us for negotiation, when everyone on the call – including the people saying that – everyone listening knows that we are going to reach an impasse with the Senate, and we’re gonna go to a 99% continuing resolution,” Gaetz said in a Spaces conversation on X Monday night. “Joe Biden’s going to get 100% of what he wants, followed by 99% of what he wants.”