Staff Reports
The House Democrats are up in arms once again, accusing their Republican colleagues of pushing for a government shutdown if their conservative demands are not met. These accusations come as the deadline for passing a spending bill looms, with federal funding set to expire on Nov. 17.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had hoped to get all 12 of the House’s annual appropriations bills passed before the deadline, but his plans hit a roadblock when two bills failed to garner enough support from House Republicans. Now, with the threat of a shutdown looming, Democrats are pointing fingers at the GOP, claiming they are using the deadline to extract extreme demands.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been vocal in his criticism, stating that the government is at risk of shutting down because of the extreme Republicans in the House. He emphasized that Democrats are willing to negotiate a bipartisan spending deal for the next fiscal year but insisted that they would only accept a temporary spending measure at the fiscal year 2023 levels.
Democrats are adamant that unless the Republicans agree to a clean continuing resolution, they won’t support a temporary spending deal, putting Speaker Johnson in a tough spot. With no finalized plan to avoid a shutdown in sight, Democrats are seizing the opportunity to blame the GOP for leading the government to the brink of another shutdown.
As the tension mounts, Speaker Johnson is expected to unveil his proposal for a stopgap spending measure, considering options like a clean continuing resolution into January or a laddered continuing resolution that would extend some appropriations bills into January and the rest into February.
However, Democrats have been quick to criticize the proposal of a bifurcated continuing resolution, claiming it is evidence that Republicans are actively working toward a shutdown next week. Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar made it clear that there is a faction within the Republican conference that wants a shutdown, citing their past votes against continuing resolutions and government funding.
The battle over the spending bill continues to intensify, leaving the fate of government funding hanging in the balance as both parties dig in their heels and refuse to budge. It’s a game of political brinkmanship, with both sides vying for leverage and refusing to back down.
