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Prepare for a potential shutdown of parts of the US government starting from Sunday after Republican dissidents in the House of Representatives dealt a severe blow to Speaker Kevin McCarthy by defeating their party’s stop-gap funding bill.
In a tense vote on Friday, 21 Republican rebels joined all Democrats in opposing McCarthy’s bill, which would have provided 30 days of funding for the government. The bill included deep cuts to government programmes which Democrats disapproved of.
The final vote tally showed that 232 House lawmakers opposed the legislation, while only 198 supported it. This embarrassing outcome for McCarthy further complicates the chances of avoiding a shutdown and raises doubts about his ability to remain as Speaker.
The dysfunction in Congress has engulfed the world’s largest economy as political tensions escalate ahead of the 2024 election year.
If the shutdown occurs on Sunday, it will result in the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, delayed pay for troops, and the closure of numerous government services. With no immediate political resolution in sight, it could take days or even weeks to end.
This political deadlock echoes previous government shutdowns in 1995 under Bill Clinton and in 2013 under Barack Obama. In those instances, hardline Republicans utilized routine deadlines for government funding legislation to force Democratic presidents into accepting major spending cuts and conservative policies.
This year, McCarthy has been influenced by a group of staunchly conservative members with close ties to former president Donald Trump. These members advocate for significant cuts to federal programs and reduced aid to Ukraine, demands that Democrats find unacceptable. They also believe that McCarthy has been too passive in budget discussions.
Some individuals have openly threatened to remove McCarthy. The level of opposition from Republicans to Friday’s legislation will prove challenging for the Speaker. Apart from his main internal opponents like Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, the bill was also opposed by more moderate members like Nancy Mace from South Carolina.
Before the vote, President Joe Biden criticized the Republican chaos, stating, “If the House fails to fulfil its most basic function and fails to fund the government by tomorrow, we’ll have let down all our troops.” He made this statement during an event at the Pentagon on Friday.
Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, also highlighted the economic implications of the potential shutdown while speaking at the port of Savannah in Georgia.
“The failure of House Republicans to act responsibly would hurt American families and cause economic headwinds that could undermine the progress we’re making,” warned US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during her speech at the port of Savannah in Georgia.
For President Biden, the government shutdown offers a new opportunity to portray Republicans as reckless and tied to Trump. The White House aims to make resistance to right-wing extremism on various issues a central theme of Biden’s re-election campaign, ranging from abortion to democratic norms to economic policy.
However, the shutdown also carries political risks for the president, especially if an extended closure causes significant damage to the economy at a time when his approval ratings are already low.
A potential path to an agreement could be if the Senate reaches a bipartisan deal to fund the government, putting pressure on McCarthy to bring it to a vote in the House. Democrats may pledge to protect McCarthy’s position as Speaker if a vote were to be held, but this could further damage his credibility among Republicans.
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