House Freedom Caucus government shutdown threats divide Senate Conservatives

Some conservatives in the Senate worry that their Republican counterparts in the House of Representatives are playing with fire as they court the idea of ​​forcing a government shutdown later this month.

Status of the situation: members of the extreme right House Freedom Caucus They are advocating a zero-sum strategy of using all the leverage at their disposal to force spending cuts and political concessions, even if it means allowing government funds to dry up on September 30.

What they are saying: “I’m just not a closure guy,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told Axios. “I don’t think we should use that as leverage…I’m probably in a different position on this than a lot of my colleagues.”

• Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said, “We don’t need to shut down government. It’s important not to shut down government.”
• “I hope they don’t shut it down,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) said of the Freedom Caucus.

Yes, but: The Freedom Caucus has some support in the Senate.

• “(People) say, ‘The Freedom Caucus is a danger,'” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told Axios. “No, the danger is the status quo.”
• Freshman Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said Republicans should “employ whatever tactic is necessary” to get “good” appropriations bills.
• “I’m certainly willing to shut down the government,” said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). “Whatever it takes to force the issue, to curb government spending here, I’m willing to do it.”

The backdrop: Some Freedom Caucus members have taken a nonchalant approach to government shutdowns, arguing that the potential impacts are overstated.

• “I officially state that I am not concerned about a government shutdown,” Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) told Axios in July. “We shouldn’t be putting in bad policies to prevent that.”
• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), reportedly considering trying to placate the right by keeping aid to Ukraine out of a stopgap spending bill and tying it to border security, putting him at odds with the Senate and President Biden.
• Hardliners in the Republican Party are also threatening a leadership challenge to crush any repetition of McCarthy’s bipartisan deal above the debt ceiling.

Between lines: Senate Minority Leader John Thune (RS.D.) summed up why the prospect of a shutdown scares many Republicans: “We usually get blamed for it, one way or another.”

• “I think most people just want to see us try to find a way to keep the trains running,” Thune said.
• Hawley, who took office in 2019 under the shadow of a Damaging shutdown for Republicanshe said the experience “probably” influenced his view of the issue.
• “I don’t think it’s a successful or effective level of negotiations. I think it ends up hurting people,” he said.

Whats Next: The House is out of session until next week, giving Congress just weeks to avoid a shutdown before funding runs out on September 30.

• Should a stopgap measure pass, lawmakers will likely have only a few months to reconcile House and Senate appropriations bills that diverge sharply in policy and spending levels.