GOP deal to avoid shutdown receives frosty reception from conservatives – The Hill

The short-term spending bill proposed by House Republicans faces internal opposition that could derail the measure and complicate the conference’s attempt to show unity in its opening bid to the Senate and to the White House.

The interim bill aimed at avoiding a shutdown, which was unveiled Sunday evening, received a frosty reception from the right flank of the House’s slim Republican majority. Enough members said they were against the proposed continuing resolution (CR) to block it in the House, although leaders hope to bring it up this week.

“A CR is a continuation of Nancy Pelosi’s budget and Joe Biden’s policies. We were assured in January that we would not use Democrats’ tricks to fund the government and that we would introduce all 12 appropriations bills, thereby funding the government responsibly and transparently. This is why I will vote against the CR this week. » Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The plan to keep the government open after September 30 extends funding for a month and combines spending cuts and border enforcement measures. It was developed by leaders of the House GOP’s Main Street Caucus, a group that presents itself as pragmatic conservatives, and the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus.

But despite these leaders’ involvement, many radical conservatives — including those in the House Freedom Caucus — remain skeptical of the plan. At least 12 Republican lawmakers have spoken out against or oppose the legislation.

“NO,” succinctly says Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) written the after deployment of the proposal.

“Pass the damn appropriations bills. Bring crazy bureaucracy back to pre-COVID levels. Now,” Dan Bishop (RN.C.) written the.

Republican Representatives Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Matt Gaetz (Florida), Ralph Norman (SC), Anna Paulina Luna (Florida), Ken Buck (Colo.), Victoria Spartz (Ind.), Andy Ogles (Tenn.), Bishop, Crane and Rosendale either said they would vote against the bill or oppose it.

Norman cited the long-standing demand from hard-line conservatives to further reduce major spending in the 12 appropriations bills and develop a plan for each before proceeding with additional government funding.

When asked Monday morning whether he had the votes to pass the CR proposal, Chairman Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters “don’t know.”

Even if the bill passes the House, it is highly unlikely that the Democratic-controlled Senate and White House will accept it as is, with significant budget cuts and border policies they oppose .

The bill would fund the government until October 31, but would cut all discretionary spending by departments outside of Defense and Veterans Affairs by about 8%. It also includes the bulk of the House GOP’s HR 2 border crackdown bill, which President Biden has said he will veto.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, tore into the proposal Sunday night, accusing House Republicans of wanting to “shut down the government.”

“With less than two weeks until the government shutdown, House Republicans are even more focused on introducing extreme funding bills that would cut funding for the National Institutes of Health, including funding for the cancer research, defund the police and cut resources to important allies like Ukraine. and Israel rather than working on a bipartisan solution that could be adopted,” DeLauro said in a statement.

But the bill aims to show a united front among House Republicans and serve as an opening bid in negotiations to keep the government open beyond Sept. 30 — echoing the strategy of the House conference. start of this year which revolves around the increase in the debt ceiling. The House passed a GOP bill combining a debt ceiling increase with policy changes before McCarthy struck a different deal with President Biden.

Radical conservatives, however, later expressed their outrage at the deal.

The House Rules Committee is expected to consider the CR legislation on Monday. The current plan is for the House to vote on a Pentagon appropriations bill — which GOP leaders were forced to introduce last week due to tough conservative opposition — on Wednesday, and the resolution continues on Thursday, confirmed a source during a House GOP call Sunday evening. at The Hill.

If all House members vote and all Democrats oppose the bill, the House Republican Party can afford to lose just four votes and pass the bill. However, a few GOP members are expected to be absent due to personal circumstances, further complicating the calculations for the GOP.

But in a sign of the high stakes surrounding the appropriations process, Luna — who had a baby in August and just recovered from a four-day fever and infection — said she would return to Washington to vote against the current resolution if necessary.

“If I’m needed, I’ll come,” Luna told The Hill, adding that she “would fly to vote no because I know how important it is.”

It is possible that some or more of the initial “nays” and “nays” to the legislation will change their minds as they evaluate its contents.

A conservative outside group that has allied itself with hard-line conservatives has expressed support for the plan.

“The proposed CR represents a strong consensus between conservatives and moderates within the House Republican Conference. We support the negotiated spending reductions and urge all members of the House to support the CR,” FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon said in a statement. “However, we must recognize that discretionary spending represents less than a third of all federal spending, and we need Republicans and Democrats to come together to resolve the inevitable looming debt crisis.”