Congress has yet to pass a funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, which will occur at midnight on Saturday, September 30. At the heart of the stalemate are renewed demands from a handful of House Republicans for deep federal spending cuts, preventing the House from adopting a short-term measure that would sustain federal spending at current levels while a longer agreement is negotiated.
On Friday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he will continue to try to pass a continuing resolution (CR), which several House Republicans have publicly declared they will not support. The House will simultaneously attempt to pass individual appropriation bills when the House returns tomorrow, Tuesday, September 26. It isn’t clear, however, if any of these bills can pass the House. But even if they did, they would be considered “dead on arrival” in the Democrat-run Senate.
With the House paralyzed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is preparing the Senate to vote on a bill to keep the government open when they return on Tuesday. The bill will almost certainly include funding for Ukraine and disaster relief, which is opposed by several Republican members in the House.
If the Senate passes a CR and sends it to the House, McCarthy will then almost certainly need help from House Democrats to pass the legislation to keep the government open. Soliciting the help of Democrats, however, could risk McCarthy losing the speakership if any one of the handful of conservatives file a motion to vacate.
We will be closely monitoring the changing dynamics all week. If you have specific questions or would like additional information, please let us know how we can be helpful.
Sincerely,
The Bridge Team