A group of radical House Republicans rejected their leader’s stopgap budget bill on Friday, making Sunday’s partial government shutdown almost inevitable.
The House of Representatives rejected a bill providing temporary government funding for 30 days. Only 198 lawmakers voted in favor, while 232 voted against. The bill included spending cuts and curbs on illegal immigration, which are priorities for Republicans. However, as a result, the document had little chance of approval by the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Thus, the Republicans, who have a majority in the House of Representatives, found themselves without a clear strategy to prevent a shutdown.
If government funding is not extended by Sunday, it will result in the closure of national parks, delays in payments to 4 million federal workers and disruptions in areas ranging from financial oversight to scientific research.
After the vote, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the House could still pass a bill to extend funding, abandoning conservative measures that had alienated Democrats. But he refused to say what would happen next. The House is expected to hold more votes Saturday.
It is unclear whether the Senate will have time to make a decision. The House is scheduled to reconvene Saturday afternoon to consider a bipartisan bill to fund the government through Nov. 17, but procedural delays could delay a final vote until Tuesday.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday that a partial government shutdown would “hurt” the nation’s economic progress by ending maternal health and small business programs and potentially delaying major infrastructure projects.
President Joe Biden has warned that the shutdown could have serious consequences for the armed forces.
“We cannot play politics when our troops suffer the consequences. This is simply a dereliction of duty,” Biden, a Democrat, said at a ceremony marking the retirement of Gen. Mark Milley.
McCarthy hoped that including border security provisions in the bill would help convince colleagues who had previously ignored efforts to prevent a shutdown.
But ultimately, the “irreconcilable” Republicans – 31 people – united with the Democrats and rejected the bill.
Some Republicans say Congress should focus on crafting a detailed budget that covers the entire fiscal year, rather than temporary measures, even if that leads to a shutdown. So far, the House of Representatives has already passed four annual budget proposals, but they have no chance of gaining Senate approval.
Other Republicans say they may need to work with Democrats to pass a tentative budget that can win support in the Senate and White House.
“Some people don’t understand the obvious,” said Republican Rep. Don Bacon.
McCarthy said he was considering that approach, but would not accept the additional aid to Ukraine requested by Biden and that Senate lawmakers included in their version of the bill.
