Three things dividing Congress and increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown
Julia Johnson
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The House of Representatives returns from recess next week and will be faced with the immediate challenge of passing appropriations bills ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline. If the body doesn’t pass the spending bills, it will usher in a government shutdown.
There are several obstacles standing between the House and passing necessary spending measures, chief of which are concerns over spending levels, the inclusion of controversial amendments and demands for an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, and the growing disapproval of additional military aid for Ukraine.
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Here is what you need to know about each concern:
Spending caps
The conservative House Freedom Caucus, known for being fiscal hawks, demands spending levels lower than those agreed upon by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Biden in the debt ceiling negotiation deal. Some members of the conservative group have indicated that McCarthy made promises about returning to previous spending levels during the contentious series of votes necessary to elect him to the speaker position.
Caucus members have also said they won’t agree to a continuing resolution to fund certain government functions until appropriations are resolved.
In terms of a government shutdown, they aren’t rooting for it, but they also aren’t afraid if that is what it comes down to.
Controversial demands
One of the bills expected to be taken up by the House next week is a $886 billion defense spending measure. And the conservative House Freedom Caucus, along with aides to GOP leadership, reportedly looked over 300 possible amendments on Thursday. Some amendments are likely to address abortion and policies of the military that facilitate the procedure. The contentious issue, often divided by party lines, could set up clashes in both the House and the Senate.
Additionally, one of HFC’s members, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), has threatened to inject issues related to the various indictments against former President Donald Trump into the appropriations process. Last month, the Republican said he is planning two amendments that would halt federal funding to prosecutors who are behind the indictments against the former president.
As interest in an impeachment inquiry into Biden grows, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has said she will hold up the appropriations process until an inquiry is started. “I’ve already decided: I will not vote to fund the government unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden,” she said in a video on social media. The issue would serve to further polarize the appropriations process while the House already faces a time crunch.
Ukraine aid
According to reports, McCarthy and House GOP leaders are thinking about a short-term stopgap spending measure that would include billions of dollars in disaster relief. But, it would leave out renewed aid to Ukraine, a topic that has become increasingly unpopular among some of the more conservative GOP representatives and associated organizations.
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Biden has requested $40 billion in supplemental funding, $24 billion of which would be for military aid to Ukraine. This is something Senate leaders in both parties are supportive of, but some Republicans in the House are unhappy with a lack of transparency in funding to the war-torn country and are demanding separate bills to consider disaster aid for Ukraine and other areas.
Those Republicans are supported by the flagship conservative organization, the Heritage Foundation, which has called for aid to Ukraine to end until Biden details what it is for, how it is being used, and debuts a plan to work toward ending the war. It has also requested that Ukraine aid be considered as a stand-alone measure.