WASHINGTON — The top republicans The House and Senate cannot agree on how to avoid a government shutdown that looks increasingly likely this weekend.
And if the government shuts down, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has made it clear who should be to blame: the Republican-led House of Representatives.
“The choice facing Congress is pretty simple: We can take the standard approach and fund the government for six weeks at the current pace of operations, or we can shut down the government in exchange for zero meaningful policy progress,” McConnell said Wednesday. in the morning. on the floor of his chamber.
“Shutting down the government is not an effective way to make a point. Keeping it open is the only way to make a difference on the biggest issues we face.”
As if he hadn’t been clear enough in his morning remarks, McConnell returned to the topic of total House dysfunction during an afternoon press conference.
“Look, I don’t want to give the president any advice on how to run the House,” McConnell said, referring to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). “We’re going to focus on how to do our job in the Senate, which is to pass a bill that keeps the government open. “I can’t have an impact on what happens in the House.”
President Joe Biden intervened to affirm the minority leader’s view on things.
“You know, I agree with Mitch here,” Biden said. he wrote in a social media post.. “I don’t understand why House Republicans would want to defund the Border Patrol.”
The Senate took the first step Tuesday night to pass a bipartisan bill that would fund the government through Nov. 17, provide money for natural disaster relief and the defense of Ukraine against Russian invaders, and extend some programs that would otherwise be at risk, such as the Federal Fund. Aeronautical Administration and food aid to pregnant women.
Meanwhile, McCarthy told House Republicans in a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning that he would not bring the Senate funding resolution to a vote.
“He said he told McConnell that he’s going to fight what the Senate sends,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R.S.C.) told reporters after the meeting.
House Republicans said their plan will be to pass a resolution that funds the government at lower levels along with a modified version of a far-right immigration policy bill which the House approved earlier this year in a symbolic vote.
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) said the idea is for the House to pass his bill on Friday and then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “decide if he wants to close the bill.” government or not.” or close the border.”
One problem with the House Republican plan is that it is unclear whether McCarthy will be able to muster the votes he would need to pass a partisan funding bill. Republicans have struggled to pass procedural resolutions to fund the military, arguably their favorite part of the federal government.
Another obvious point of disagreement is the importance of providing aid to Ukraine. President Joe Biden has asked Congress for about $20 billion more in military, economic and humanitarian aid for the beleaguered country. This would be in addition to some $77 billion in aid that has already been committed.
The Senate bill contains about $6.1 billion in military and economic aid, a low figure for some Ukraine advocates, but enough to serve as a bridge to a larger amount later.
However, McCarthy warned Tuesday night that Ukraine would not be a priority in any stopgap bill that emerges from the House.
“What Russia has done is wrong,” McCarthy told reporters. But she said helping Ukraine should not be more important than helping victims of natural disasters in her country.
“Why can’t we take care of the border and also our emergencies?” McCarthy asked. (The Senate bill includes $6 billion in disaster relief funding, almost the same amount that would be provided to help Ukraine.)
McConnell has said defeating Russia in Ukraine is one of the most important tasks facing the Western world. Earlier this month, he said cutting off and fleeing Ukraine would have consequences for deterring China from trying to take control of Taiwan.
“If the United States demonstrates that we cannot be trusted to support our allies in Europe, why should our allies in Asia expect different treatment in the face of Chinese aggression?” she asked.
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