GOP Senators Urge Kevin McCarthy To Act To Prevent Looming Government Shutdown: 'Let The House Give It A College Try'

As the U.S. government faces the risk of a shutdown, GOP senators are urging House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to take decisive action as both parties eagerly anticipate the return of House lawmakers following a six-week break.

What Happened: The Senate is set to commence debates on bipartisan funding bills. However, these discussions do not directly tackle the urgent matter of preventing a government shutdown. GOP senators argue that the onus of the initial move lies with McCarthy, Politico reported.

"We've got to let the House give it a college try. If they fail, we'll have to do something," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C) said.

Procedural votes on a $280 billion government funding package are expected to be conducted by the Senate on Tuesday. The intention is that this legislation will display unity amid a spending standoff with House Republicans. The two chambers are currently at odds over a deal to keep the government’s operations running beyond the Sept. 30 deadline.

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Despite the urgent need for action, House conservatives are demanding significant concessions, which they are aware will not be sanctioned by President Joe Biden. Against this backdrop, GOP senators are eager for McCarthy to pass his version of the funding first, while Democrats are also waiting to see the Speaker’s next move.

"We're all trying to give as much space as possible to the House to determine how they want to proceed," Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), his party's whip in the Senate, told the media.

"I think that's one of those issues when it comes together, it'll come together quickly, but until then, there's just a lot of discussions and conversations around, you know, what's the best way to get it done?" Thune said.

Why It Matters: McCarthy is facing mounting pressure from the House Freedom Caucus, which is demanding additional spending cuts and policy changes. These include GOP reforms at the southern border in exchange for funding the government and measures that would scale back budgets at Biden's Justice Department and the FBI.

 In the face of a possible government shutdown, McCarthy had proposed a temporary government funding solution in August. Despite this, he faced a significant challenge from within his own party, with conservatives demanding drastic budget cuts.

As the Sept. 30 deadline approaches, the White House has urged Congress to approve short-term funding to prevent a shutdown. However, the responsibility to make the next move now appears to be squarely on McCarthy’s shoulders.

Photo by Featureflash Photo Agency on Shutterstock

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