By KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON — The Freedom Caucus, a group of House conservatives, has presented a comprehensive set of demands to be included in a stopgap spending measure to ensure the continuity of the federal government beyond September.
However, these demands are highly unlikely to gain traction in the Democratic-controlled Senate and White House. This poses a significant challenge for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who needs to pass a bill in the House without alienating a substantial portion of his conference.
Normally, members of the Freedom Caucus do not support short-term spending bills to keep the government operational. Nonetheless, given the narrow five-seat majority held by Republicans in the House, they possess significant leverage over the legislative agenda. Nevertheless, McCarthy will likely require Democratic votes to pass a short-term funding measure that can successfully navigate the Senate and subsequently be signed into law.
The key demands put forth by the House Freedom Caucus include:
— Advocating for spending levels below the top-line figures agreed upon by McCarthy and President Joe Biden as part of a bill to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.
— Inclusion of a bill focused on constructing additional border walls and imposing restrictions on asylum for individuals seeking protection in the U.S. due to fear of persecution or harm.
— Addressing what they perceive as the “unprecedented weaponization of the Justice Department and FBI” for political purposes, engaging in “witch hunts.”
— Strong opposition against providing a “blank check for Ukraine.” The White House has requested over $13 billion in emergency defense aid and an additional $8 billion for humanitarian support as Ukraine combats Russia’s invasion.
The House Freedom Caucus has labeled its message as “No Security, No Funding.” Although some members of the group support a government work stoppage to force reduced non-defense spending, many Republicans disagree with this approach due to potential backlash from voters.
Lawmakers will reconvene in Washington after Labor Day, leaving them insufficient time to approve all 12 government funding bills before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1. McCarthy recently suggested the possibility of a short-term bridge measure to provide the House and Senate with more time to reach a compromise on final spending levels for the year.
If Congress fails to pass the spending bills into law by January 1, there is a risk of a 1% across-the-board reduction in spending for the year, which would come into effect at the end of April.
Senate Democrats are supportive of passing a short-term spending bill, as confirmed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in his remarks to reporters last week.
“We hope that our House Republicans will realize that any funding resolution has to be bipartisan, or they will risk shutting down the government,” he stated.
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