Kevin McCarthy Caves to Matt Gaetz's Demands After Spending Bill Is Massive Failure - Report
The House of Representatives reportedly will be voting on individual appropriations bills next week rather than a continuing resolution as a stopgap measure that would keep the government open.
NBC News political analyst Jake Sherman posted on the social media platform X on Thursday that Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and other Republicans came out of a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy saying that bringing individual appropriations bills is now the plan.
“Gaetz said that he’s advocating for pausing consideration of the Pentagon spending bill and moving to bills that cut spending,” Sherman said.
“He mentioned: State-Foreign Ops, Agriculture, Energy and Water. Gaetz sounded more productive than I’ve heard him in a while. Also: he said again there are not enough votes for a [continuing resolution].”
This is now the strategy. They’re going to bring up individual approps bills next week, per lawmakers who just met with @SpeakerMcCarthy @mattgaetz strategy is now house gop’s plan.
W @bresreports https://t.co/hhOCMHrw8c
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 21, 2023
On Thursday, five Republicans joined Democrats in voting against moving forward on the defense appropriations bill, which failed 212-216, according to NBC News.
The five conservatives want more spending cuts.
CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju had posted Wednesday, “Gaetz just told his conference that seven Rs would vote against any CR to keep government open.”
Gaetz just told his conference that seven Rs would vote against any CR to keep goverment open.
That means McCarthy may have to work with Dems to pass a stop-gap
If he does, Gaetz tells me here that McCarthy will be out of a job “promptly.”
Roy says it would “not be a good move” pic.twitter.com/Ydrjzs2rHz— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 20, 2023
The Republicans have a 221-212 majority in the House, with 217 votes needed for legislation to pass.
NBC News reported that three Republican members are out for medical reasons: Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana is undergoing cancer treatment, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida just had a baby, and Rep. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma is recovering from surgery.
.@RepTimBurchett confirms the votes do not exist to pass a continuing resolution.
Single-subject spending bills.
Let’s get to it! pic.twitter.com/x6QYO6MY4v
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) September 21, 2023
The Hill reported Tuesday that leaders of the House Freedom Caucus and the Main Street Caucus had crafted a continuing resolution that would have extended government spending until Oct. 31.
The measure would have required an 8 percent cut to all discretionary spending besides the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
It also would have included the GOP’s HR 2 border security legislation passed earlier this year.
However, about a dozen Republican members said they would oppose the measure.
On Thursday, Gaetz posted on X, “Trump Opposes the Continuing Resolution. Hold the line.”
His post included an exhortation that former President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social urging Republicans to use the power of the purse to place a check on President Joe Biden’s “weaponized Government that refuses to close the Border, and treats half the country as Enemies of the State.”
“Use the power of the purse and defend the Country!”
Trump Opposes the Continuing Resolution.
Hold the line. pic.twitter.com/rBExrNUZN9
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) September 21, 2023
Voting on the 12 individual appropriations bills, rather than a likely pork-laden CR, is what the country needs to start getting its fiscal house back in order.
The U.S. will clock a more than $2 trillion deficit for fiscal year 2023, which ends Sept. 30, and has a $33 trillion national debt.
The interest payments on the debt for the first 11 months of fiscal 2023 were $644 billion, up 30 percent from last year, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“Debt payments are getting close to spending on national defense of $692 billion, if you can believe it. A third of the current deficit is going to pay interest on money borrowed for previous spending blowouts,” the Journal said.
Spending is up 9 percent ($534 billion) from the previous year, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, in large measure because of all the new programs the Democrats tacked on since Joe Biden became president.
The road we’re on now is unsustainable, and it’s time to start doing something about it.
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