Matt Gaetz Hurls Serious Allegations at Speaker McCarthy Over How Shutdown-Averting Bill Got Passed

Matt Vespa | September 30, 2023 10:00 PM

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:

"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
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 30, 2023