McCarthy Kills Bipartisan Senate Bill to Avert Shutdown
www.thedailybeast.com
The stopgap measure, which included continued aid for Ukraine, would have faced stiff opposition from hardliners in the House.

Just four days out from a government shutdown, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has declared a bipartisan Senate stopgap measure dead on arrival.

Senators, having apparently lost faith in McCarthy’s ability to stave off a shutdown, negotiated a bill late Tuesday night that funds the government until Nov. 17 and includes $12 billion in aid and disaster relief for Ukraine. It’s expected to be voted on by the end of the week before being sent over to the House, and is intended to buy lawmakers more time to hash out a longer-term deal, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said.

But, according to Punchbowl News, McCarthy said in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday morning that he wouldn’t take up a bill that includes Ukraine funding but no border security measures. “I don’t see the support in the House,” he reportedly said.

Aid for Ukraine has been one of several sticking points for ultraconservative hardliners in the House who have repeatedly sabotaged McCarthy’s efforts to get spending bills passed.

  • Buelldozer@lemmy.today
    20·
    1 year ago

    All he has to do is negotiate with the Democrats.

    He did. The Budget was negotiated with President Biden back in June / July. What’s happened is that he can’t get the Freedom Caucus to vote for what he negotiated. It’s ridiculous.

      • TechyDad@lemmy.world
        11·
        1 year ago

        True, except the Freedom Caucus is threatening to hold a vote to remove him as Speaker if he dares do anything they don’t like.

        McCarthy wants to keep his power position (even though, as it’s currently set up, he doesn’t really have much power) more than he wants to help this country. If helping the country would result in some minor harm to the level of power he has, he’ll let America burn.

          • TechyDad@lemmy.world
            4·
            1 year ago

            He’s still delusional enough to think that he’ll cling onto it using some brilliant maneuver. Were McCarthy an extremely skilled politician, I might think that was possible, but McCarthy is far from extremely skilled. Very, very far from it.