I’m shocked this got done, given the time constraints and the many factions at play here. It’s a DC swamp miracle, I guess. You couldn’t get any closer to the deadline than this, as the House GOP opted to take up four appropriations bills before the continuing resolution to keep the government open. Remember, they got the ball rolling on this spending bill extravaganza on Tuesday. The deadline was September 30, 11:59 p.m.
McCarthy finally proposed a continuing resolution on Friday, but the chances of it passing looked grim. Then, on Saturday, the bill passed with over 330 votes. The lower chamber recessed until Monday, with Democratic senators offering assurances that none of them would vote against the House bill. Yet, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), angered by the lack of Ukraine funding, put a hold on the legislation, delaying the final vote for hours. He finally relented when an agreement on a separate Ukraine aid package was formed.
So, there is no shutdown, but Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is hurling some serious allegations that McCarthy struck a deal with Democrats to grease the wheels to pass the government shutdown-averting bill. Yes, I know this might not shock many people. It had to do with the House voting on a separate measure for Ukraine aid, which was announced after the CR passed:
HOUSE DEM LEADERSHIP STATEMENT:
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 30, 2023
"When the House returns, we expect Speaker McCarthy to advance a bill to the House Floor for an up-or-down vote that supports Ukraine, consistent with his commitment to making sure that Vladimir Putin, Russia and authoritarianism are defeated. We… pic.twitter.com/L7GdQphaD2
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Wow.@SpeakerMcCarthy made a side Ukraine deal with Democrats and didn’t tell House Republicans until after his Continuing Resolution passed.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) October 1, 2023
More deceit. https://t.co/LC91laLyTp
The 72 hour rule we fought for in January - ignored. https://t.co/nGg3qnqI4R
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) October 1, 2023
Expect the conservative wing to be rambunctious when they reconvene after the weekend. For now, a shutdown has been averted.
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