Government once again at risk of shutdown following Republican infighting over who will be the next House speaker

10/08/2023 / By Arsenio Toledo

The government is once again at risk of shutting down after several Republican hardliners voted with Democrats to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position.

Before McCarthy’s ouster, House Democrats and Republicans were able to come up with a temporary funding deal before the clock struck midnight on Oct. 1 – the beginning of the new fiscal year. This stopgap measure provides Congress with 40 days of funding. (Related: Congress abandons Ukraine aid in temporary funding bill to avert government shutdown.)

Congress now has until mid-November to pass the 12 departmental appropriation bills needed to avert a government shutdown. While the Senate may be able to pass its own budget bills, McCarthy’s ouster prevents the House from preventing any kind of business until another speaker is elected.

The fight for government funding will likely be complicated by a bipartisan Senate push to attach more taxpayer assistance for Ukraine to the next funding measure. Many within the House Republican caucus are likely to oppose such a proposal.

Government shutdown could hinge on next speaker

Before the House can even take up either the Democrats’ or the GOP’s funding proposals, a new speaker would have to be elected.

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts said the House Democratic caucus will once again nominate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York to fill the vacant speakership.

“We’re clear who our leadership is: Hakeem Jeffries,” said Clark. However, it is unlikely that a Democrat could win enough votes to become House speaker.

Among the House Republicans, at least two major candidates have voiced their desire to become the House’s next speaker: Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who represents the more conservative wing of the party, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a McCarthy ally who is seen as more of a moderate. Both major contenders will be doing everything they can to lock in the 218 votes required to win the job and will need to do everything they can to win the support of both the moderate and conservative wings of the House Republican caucus.

Both Jordan and Scalise have already been seen trying to court more center-leaning members of the GOP in recent days, believing a certain bloc of House Republicans who are among the most vulnerable to losing their seats in 2024 as necessary allies for the speakership.

A floor vote for the House is due to happen at least on Oct. 11, but there is no guarantee that the vote will successfully elect a new House speaker. McCarthy was historically elected only after a four-day and 15-ball0t-long floor battle and only after providing major concessions to the more conservative elements within his party.

If a similar battle plays out over the upcoming speakership role, it could similarly last for days and slow down House efforts to pass the necessary appropriation bills needed to prevent a government shutdown by November.

Learn the latest news coming out of the federal government at BigGovernment.news.

Watch this Oct. 4, 2023 episode of “Brighteon Broadcast News” as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster is good for the United States.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.