The legislation, brokered between GOP factions, would include spending cuts and a conservative border measure, making it unlikely to pass the Democratic-led Senate.
WASHINGTON \u2014 Key factions of the House Republican Conference reached a tentative agreement Sunday to keep the government funded temporarily and avert a shutdown scheduled for the end of the month, pairing it with a conservative border security measure, multiple GOP sources with knowledge of the agreement said.
House Republicans released a bill after the far-right Freedom Caucus and the center-right Main Street Caucus reached a tentative agreement, the sources said. The deal, which would keep the government funded through Oct. 31 but includes cuts to domestic spending, is expected to pave the way to pass a defense spending bill this week that has been tied up in the standoff between Republican leadership and the far right.
If the legislation passes the House, it would resolve one internal problem for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., while creating a new one. The controversial immigration provisions and reduced spending levels make it all but guaranteed to die in the Democratic-led Senate, meaning it could do more to hasten a shutdown at the end of September than prevent one.
The bill would cut domestic spending by 8% with exceptions for the military and veterans funding.
It includes most of the Secure the Border Act of 2023, a wish list of immigration provisions for GOP hard-liners, with the exception of provisions requiring employers to use E-Verify to check immigration status. The legislation has been a big priority for Freedom Caucus members. And while it passed the House in May, the Senate has ignored it.
Notably, the temporary government funding legislation doesn’t mention Ukraine aid or disaster relief, two priorities for the White House and many lawmakers in both parties.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, trashed the bill as \u201cextreme\u201d in a statement, accusing House Republicans of trying to \u201ccut funding to the National Institutes of Health including funding for cancer research, defund the police, and decrease resources to important allies like Ukraine and Israel,\u201d instead of \u201cworking on bipartisan solution[s] that could be enacted.\u201d
She added that \u201cit is time to end the charade and to get to work.\u201d
The lawmakers named on the bill are Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., Scott Perry, R-Pa., Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D.
House Republicans, who have a slim majority, discussed the measure on a call at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.
It’s unclear whether the bill will get enough votes to pass the House. Without Democratic support, McCarthy can afford no more than four defections.
Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., quickly came out against it.
\u201cNo CR. Pass the damn approps bills. Roll back the crazy bureaucracy to pre-COVID levels. Now,\u201d Bishop said on\u2002social media.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said Sunday evening after the bill was released: \u201cIt\u2019s crystal clear a Gov\u2019t shutdown is coming. I represent 66% of the Texas-Mexico border \u2014 a hollow Continuing Resolution built to win a messaging battle does nothing to keep America safe.\u201d
Earlier in the day, McCarthy urged his colleagues to avert a shutdown in an appearance on Fox News.
\u201cA shutdown would only give strength to the Democrats,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would give the power to Biden. It wouldn\u2019t pay our troops. It wouldn\u2019t pay our border agents. More people would be coming across. I actually want to achieve something.\u201d
Perry, the Freedom Caucus chair, said in a statement Sunday night: \u201cHFC Members have worked over the weekend with the Main Street Caucus on a path forward to fund the government and secure America\u2019s border. We now have a framework for our colleagues across the House Republican Conference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n