Conference fails to approve procedural motion to take up defense spending bill as government shutdown looms
The House Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, was dealt his second humiliating defeat of the week on Thursday, when his conference again failed to approve a procedural motion as members continued to clash over government spending levels with just days left to avert a federal shutdown.
With no clear path forward in Republicans’ negotiations, the House concluded its work on Thursday without any stated plan to reconvene on Friday.
“Discussions related to [fiscal year 2024] appropriations are ongoing,” Congressman Tom Emmer, the House Republican whip, said in a statement. “Members are advised that ample notice will be given ahead of any potential votes tomorrow or this weekend.”
McCarthy: “hard-right Republicans want to burn the whole place down!”
Moderate Democrats: “so you’ll work with us instead, to pass legislation that keeps the lights on, and addresses some of the problems we both agree exist?”
McCarthy: “No. Fuck you. Die in a fire.”
If he does that he’ll be removed as speaker.
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Working with the Dems will make his next Primary difficult, he hasn’t got that long before that comes around again. This is what he, and a lot of the more moderate republicans are really scared of, being cut off from the grift by their own party.
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Not if the Dems agree to vote to keep him.
Why the hell should they??
To have a functioning government. There’s 0 chance there will be a democratic speaker. There’s a pretty good chance nothing works, and normal people don’t get paid for weeks or months if bipartisanship is out.
To have a functioning bad government.
Bipartisanship is suicide in the long run.
The choices are the status quo or worse. There is no option for better that they’re rejecting by using bipartisanship to pass a clean CR.
The status quo is going to kill everyone everywhere forever.
Not if the Dems agree to vote to keep him
That seems a tall order given his long history of biting the Dem’s hands every time they reach out. This is a problem of his party’s own making and stems from not honoring their earlier agreements around the debt ceiling.
Besides, they can’t agree to something he hasn’t (and won’t) ask for.
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