Posted on 09/29/23
| News Source: The Hill
A band of House conservatives on Friday voted down a GOP bill to avoid a government shutdown.
The vote marked a significant — and embarrassing — defeat for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as a shutdown this weekend appears increasingly inevitable.
Twenty-one Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the legislation, bringing the final tally to 198-232. The measure advanced in a party-line vote earlier on Friday.
The bill did not stand a chance in the Senate, where Democrats were sure to line up against it. And the White House Friday morning issued a veto threat for the bill.
The tally was largely expected after a handful of conservatives — more than McCarthy could afford to lose in his narrow majority — lined up against the measure.
But the failed vote, nonetheless, marks a setback for McCarthy, who has pushed his GOP colleagues to clear a partisan stopgap bill so his conference could have greater leverage in funding negotiations with Democrats in the Senate and the White House.
And it increases the odds of a government shutdown, which will go into effect Saturday night unless Congress passes a short-term funding bill by then.
There is no clear path on the table to prevent a lapse in funding.
The Senate is moving ahead with a bipartisan continuing resolution that that McCarthy told his members earlier this week he will not bring to the floor. A number of conservatives have voiced concerns about the Ukraine aid in the bill and the lack of border security provisions.