Congress is back in Washington and facing down a ticking clock.
Lawmakers have four days to fund the government past Sept. 30 or risk a shutdown, and each chamber is pushing ahead with its own plan.
The Senate, which doesn’t normally go first on funding bills, on Tuesday unveiled and advanced its own proposal for a short-term solution to fund the government for six weeks and stave off a shutdown.
In the House, Republicans advanced four full-year spending bills, handing Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) an incremental victory but doing little to stave off a shutdown this weekend.
Follow along throughout the day for updates below.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday said he is looking to vote on a Republican-crafted continuing resolution on Friday, one day before the government shutdown deadline.
McCarthy said votes on four individual, full-year appropriations bills “will take us to Thursday,” so the vote on the continuing resolution would occur “probably on Friday.”
The Speaker suggested that the stopgap bill he brings to the floor would be the same one House GOP leaders unveiled to the conference last week.
That measure would fund the government through Oct. 31, lower spending to a top-line level of $1.471 for that duration — a key request among conservatives — include a bulk of the House GOP conference’s marquee border bill, H.R. 2, and it would establish a commission on the national debt to examine mandatory and discretionary spending.
“We will move a continuing resolution, bring a rule to the floor, to secure our border and keep government open,” McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday.
A number of hardline conservatives, however, have said they will never vote for a continuing resolution, spelling trouble for McCarthy as he looks to get the proposal over the finish line.
— Mychael Schnell
House Republicans on Tuesday advanced four full-year spending bills, handing Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) a small win but doing little to stave off a government shutdown at the end of the month.
The chamber voted 216-212 to begin consideration of spending measures to fund the Department of Defense; Department of Homeland Security; Department of State and foreign operations; and the Department of Agriculture, rural development and Food and Drug Administration.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was the lone GOP “no” vote.
The successful procedural vote marks an incremental win for McCarthy, who has struggled to advance spending measures this month amid conservative opposition. The House tried to advance the Department of Defense appropriations bill twice last week, with hardline opposition sinking the measure both times.
— Mychael Schnell
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on the House floor all but promised to force a vote on ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post.
“The one thing I agree with my Democrat colleagues on is that for the last eight months, this House has been poorly led,” he said. “And we own that, and we have to do something about it. And you know what? My Democrat colleagues will have an opportunity to do something about that, too. And we will see if they bail out our failed Speaker.”
The Senate voted Tuesday to advance a short-term funding measure to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the week.
The Senate voted 77 to 19 to advance the legislative vehicle they will use for a continuing resolution funding government until Nov. 17.
The vote puts the Senate on a path to pass a continuing resolution (CR) later this week that it could then send to the House to avoid a shutdown on Oct. 1.
— Alexander Bolton
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in floor remarks Tuesday endorsed the bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) that the Senate unveiled Tuesday afternoon.
“The clearest path forward is a standard, short-term continuing resolution. Our work this week needs to produce the resources and flexibility to maintain essential government functions at their current rates of operation, while progress on full year appropriations continues,” McConnell said.
The CR the Senate unveiled extends government funding through Nov. 17 and includes some money for Ukraine and disaster relief.
“In order to work on appropriations, to continue uninterrupted, Congress needs to extend government funding by the end of this week,” McConnell said. “The sooner Congress keeps the light on, the sooner these important conversations can resume.”
— Sarah Fortinsky
Senate negotiators on Tuesday unveiled a 79-page bill to fund the government until Nov. 17 in hopes of averting a shutdown when current funding expires this weekend.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) described the measure as a “bridge” to avoid a shutdown and give lawmakers more time to negotiate a longer-term funding solution.
READ THE DEVELOPING STORY HERE.
— Alexander Bolton
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Tuesday that the Senate would hold a procedural vote that afternoon on a bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) that would avert a government shutdown, extending funding at current levels while including aid for Ukraine and for natural disaster relief.
In remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Schumer touted the bipartisan work as he slammed Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for moving forward on appropriations bills that are doomed to fail in the Senate and which do not work towards averting a shutdown – which would take effect at the end of September if Congress does not pass a CR.
“This bipartisan CR is a temporary solution, a bridge towards cooperation and away from extremism. And it will allow us to keep working to fully fund the federal government and spare American families the pain of a shutdown,” Schumer said.
“While for sure this bill does not have everything either side wants, it will continue to fund the government at present levels, while maintaining our commitment to Ukraine’s security and humanitarian needs, while also ensuring those impacted by natural disasters across the country begin to get the resources they need,” Schumer said, adding, “The Senate CR is a good, sensible and bipartisan – let me emphasize, bipartisan — bill.”
— Sarah Fortinksy
(Greg Nash/The Hill)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) took to the steps of the Capitol on Tuesday to protest money going to Ukraine.
Greene, a long-time opponent of U.S. assistance going to help defend Kyiv from Russia’s invasion, last week sank a Pentagon funding bill over Ukraine aid.
She also says she is a “hard no” on a vote to advance a package of spending bills because two contain aid for Ukraine.
McCarthy plans to bring that package up for a procedural vote tonight and can afford to lose only a handful of Republican votes.
(Greg Nash/The Hill)
Greene last week took to X to complain that House leadership had broken its promise by preparing to move an appropriations bill with Ukraine funding.
“The rule is the first step of advancing this blood money in Congress,” she wrote on Sunday.
– Sarakshi Rai
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday said it would be “very important” to meet with President Biden amid discussions over averting a government shutdown and addressing the situation at the southern border.
“I think it would be very important to have a meeting with the president,” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol.
The comment came after a reporter asked the Speaker why he would not consider cutting a deal with Democrats to keep the government open past the end of the month, as a number of hardline conservatives express opposition to proposed short-term funding stopgaps.
“Why don’t we just cut a deal with the president?” McCarthy responded.
— Mychael Schnell
Here is rundown of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s many comments to reporters on Tuesday on the House GOP’s strategy on a shutdown, the complicating factors he faces, and more:
On whether he is worried about moderate Republicans working with Democrats on a discharge petition to force a vote on an alternative CR: “I’m not worried about that.”
On the timing for a second shot on a GOP-only CR: “I’ll work with the Leader [Scalise],” but would have vote before the Saturday shutdown deadline.
How long McCarthy is looking for the GOP CR to last: 30 to 45 days
Whether White House’s Ukraine aid request would be part of CR: “My answer would be no. That should be dealt with in a supplemental [funding package] when you do it. So, those are two separate things.”
On threats of a motion to vacate, forcing a vote to oust him: “I’m not worried … The only thing I care about is fighting for the American people.”
On Trump’s call for shutdown unless Republicans get every demand: “President Trump always – The art of negotiation. He’s always putting different out there … I like to keep government open. I like to keep government working in the right direction.”
On the chances for a shutdown: “I don’t know, you’d have to ask President Biden … Let’s do something on the border, keep government open, and show this nation that we can do it right and solve the rest of our problems as we go.”
On GOP holdouts against any stopgap bill: “I don’t understand why would they would want to stand with the President and an open border against against an opportunity to secure the border.”
– Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell
A small but significant number of moderate GOP lawmakers are plotting a path toward potentially working with Democrats to fund the government past Sept. 30 and combat a shutdown.
At least three Republicans — Reps. Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Don Bacon (Neb.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) — have expressed an openness to joining Democrats in signing a discharge petition, a mechanism to force a vote on a measure against the wishes of the Speaker.
Signing an opposing party’s discharge petition would be an act of political mutiny, so the increased public conversation — and support — surrounding the break-the-glass option underscores the pressure lawmakers are under as they race to prevent an end-of-month shutdown after the House GOP flailed on multiple spending fronts last week.
— Mychael Schnell and Emily Brooks
Speaker Kevin McCarthy is framing the fight over government funding in terms of border policy as he aims for a second shot this week at passing a bill that would pair a a short-term government funding extension with a swath of border policy changes.
“The president could keep government open by doing something on the border,” McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday.
The strategy is to set up the House to negotiate border concessions from the Senate and the White House. Last week, holdouts blocked a proposal that would pair a month-long stopgap with spending cuts and the bulk of the House GOP’s H.R. 2 border crackdown bill, as they demanded other concessions on funding measures.
Asked about how he can sway the holdouts opposing any kind of stopgap, McCarthy said: “If they want to stand with the President by keeping the border open, I think that’d be a wrong position.”
— Emily Brooks
Right now, the government is funded through 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30. So a shutdown would start at midnight Oct. 1, which is Sunday.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is requesting that his pay be withheld during a potential government shutdown as the Florida Republican has remained opposed to any short-term spending agreements.
“It is my understanding that pursuant to the Constitution, members of Congress will continue to receive their pay during a lapse in appropriations. Therefore, I am requesting that in the case of a lapse of appropriations beginning at 12:00 a.m. on October 1, 2023, my pay be withheld until legislation has taken effect to end such lapse in appropriations in its entirety,” Gaetz wrote in a letter to Catherine Szpindor, House chief administrative officer.
— Lauren Sforza