House Freedom Caucus members on Tuesday continued to take a tough stance on a short-term spending bill that would prevent a partial government shutdown, offering a fresh sign that a divided Washington could deliver a shutdown on Oct. 1, when the government’s new fiscal year starts.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, has raised the idea of a short-term measure, known as a continuing resolution or CR, while the hardline group from his own party has called for attaching other issues to it.
“We’re here presenting what we believe is the right path forward to make sure this country is actually saved from deficits, from wide-open borders, from a ‘woke’ military, from a DOJ that’s weaponized against the American people,” said GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas during the group’s news conference on Tuesday.
“If Democrats don’t want to work with us on that, if some of our Republican colleagues don’t want to work with us on that, that’s on them to figure out what’s going to happen on Oct. 1.”
The House Freedom Caucus has said its members want to rein in outlays and will oppose any spending measure that doesn’t include a House-passed bill focused on security at the southern U.S. border. In addition, the group said any spending measure must address the “unprecedented weaponization” of the Department of Justice, as well as end “woke policies in the Pentagon.”
Other members of the group made similar points as Roy during Tuesday’s news conference.
“The country gave House Republicans the majority to change the course of Congress. Greenlighting a so-called clean or unqualified or blind CR is completely out of the question,” said GOP Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia.
Some analysts have said the most likely development this month is that the GOP-run House passes a short-term funding measure that incorporates House Freedom Caucus goals. That would set up a showdown with the Democratic-controlled Senate over those policy riders — and likely result in a shutdown.
See: House returns to face shutdown fears — here’s what it means for markets
McCarthy earlier Tuesday announced an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, a development that House Freedom Caucus members have sought. But the group’s chairman, GOP Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, steered clear of linking that issue to funding fights.
“It has nothing to do with the debt, the deficit, the outrageous spending, the inflation that’s crushing American families. Those are two separate issues and they should be dealt with separately,” Perry said.
Now read: Gaetz threatens to oust McCarthy from House speaker post
And from MarketWatch’s archives (January 2023): McCarthy’s speaker deal to win over holdouts would ‘neuter’ him, and could mean more government shutdowns
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