Two House Republican Caucuses Present a Short-Term Govt Funding Bill

MARY CHASTAIN SEP 18, 2023 7:00 AM

Members from the House Freedom Caucus and House Main Street Caucus released a short-term government funding deal, a continuing resolution (CR), late Sunday night.

Don’t you LOVE how all of this stuff comes out late at night or on a Friday? Totes not suspicious.

It’s also 165 pages long. I’m writing this before bed, so I’ll have to read/skim the whole thing tomorrow. I found some snippets in other outlets:

• 8% cuts to domestic spending except military, veterans, and disaster relief, which means a 1% cut overall
• Secure the Border Act of 2023 mostly included without provision requiring the use of DHS’s e-verify for employees
• Does not include funding for Ukraine or additional disaster relief

A source told The Hill that the bill includes an agreement “to pass an appropriations bill to fund the Department of Defense (DOD) for fiscal 2024 in tandem with the CR bill.”

The bill did not include the House leadership:

The proposal was not negotiated by leadership. Instead, six House Republican members from two of the five ideological factions — Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Stephanie I. Bice (R-Okla.) and Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) from the pragmatic Main Street Caucus, and Freedom Caucus Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Chip Roy (R-Tex.) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) — met for two-and-a-half hours Wednesday night to hash out parameters of a potential agreement, after far-right lawmakers prevented a floor vote funding the Defense Department until demands from leadership were met.

The bill will not pass the Senate.

But the bill might not even pass in the House if other Republicans vote against it. From Axios:

Yes, but: Conservatives, who have been consistently voicing opposition to the GOP’s spending proposals due to insufficient spending cuts and conservative policy, may still not be sold.

• “This is a gift to Joe Biden. I’m opposed,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who has threatened to try to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for trying to pass a stopgap bill.
• Another conservative lawmaker told Axios that this bill would be a “very tough vote” because it only cuts most non-defense discretionary spending by 1%.
• Several other conservative lawmakers told Axios they are either a “no” or leaning no.

The Republicans have only four votes to spare because Utah Rep. Chris Stewart retired last week.

The Republicans also have members out with illnesses; two are at home with new babies.

Yikes.

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