(Headline USA) House speaker Kevin McCarthy announced a dramatic pivot Saturday, trying to push a 45-day funding bill through the House with Democratic help — a move that could keep government open but most certainly risks his job.
Republican lawmakers met behind closed doors early in the morning with hours to go before the midnight deadline needed to fund government operations or face a disruptive federal closure.
The House was preparing for a quick vote Saturday on the plan.
With no deal in place before Sunday, federal workers will face furloughs, more than 2 million active-duty and reserve military troops will work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coast will begin to face shutdown disruptions.
The sudden House action would fund government at current 2023 levels for 45 days and provide money for U.S. disaster relief.
McCarthy, R-Calif., will be forced to rely on Democrats for passage because Republicans have said they will oppose any short-term measure.
McCarthy was setting up a process for voting that will require a two-thirds supermajority, about 290 votes in the 435-member House for passage. Republicans hold a 221-212 majority, with two vacancies.
Relying on Democratic votes and leaving right wing Republicans behind is something that the right-wing lawmakers have warned will risk McCarthy’s job as speaker.
They are almost certain to quickly file a motion to try to remove McCarthy from that office, though it is not certain they have enough votes to topple the speaker.
“If somebody wants to remove because I want to be the adult in the room, go ahead and try,” McCarthy said of the threat to oust him. “But I think this country is too important.”
The quick pivot comes after the collapse Friday of McCarthy’s earlier plan to pass a Republican-only bill with steep spending cuts up to 30% to most government agencies that the White House and Democrats rejected.
Across the Capitol, the Senate also prepared a rare Saturday session to advance its own bipartisan package that is supported by Democrats and Republicans and would fund the government for the short-term, through Nov. 17.
An earlier McCarthy plan to keep the government open collapsed Friday due to opposition from 21 right-wing holdouts despite steep spending cuts of nearly 30% to many agencies and severe border security provisions.
After Friday’s vote, McCarthy’s chief Republican critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, said the speaker’s bill “went down in flames as I’ve told you all week it would.”
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
