After some members of the Freedom Caucus brutally blocked the motion to begin debate on a military spending bill, California Senator Kevin McCarthy (R) and other members of the House are expecting a government shutdown.
"Think about what they're voting against," said Sen. McCarthy.
The speaker questioned the logic behind the Caucus’s controversial decision-making.
"They're voting against even bringing the bill up...the idea that you vote against a rule to bring it up? That doesn't make sense to me," continued the speaker.
Members of the politically contrary House faction claim their grievances with McCarthy stem from previous agreements to return to the spending levels that were in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The faction of dissenters would accomplish this goal by cutting non-defense discretionary spending until it reached pre-Covid levels.
McCarthy, who claimed that the decision to block the bill made things “more difficult”, was not alone in his feelings about the decision.
Kentucky Senator and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) warned against the trouble and problems that could arise from a government shutdown. Furthermore, Sen. McConnell emphasized that shutdowns are often bad for Republicans.
“I’m not a fan of government shutdowns. I’ve seen a few of them over the years,” said Sen. McConnell.
“They never have produced a policy change and they’ve always been a loser for Republicans politically.”
The odds of the Democratic-led Senate passing a bill of this nature designed by Freedom Caucus members have been considered unlikely by many Republican lawmakers.
In other news, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) was recently acquitted of 16 charges in an impeachment trial. Texas Democrats across the state reacted to the controversial verdict.
Similarly to some of her fellow Texas representatives, Texas Representative Sylvia Garcia (D) was troubled by the results of the trial. In her statement, she vehemently disagreed with the verdict and discussed how Paxton was acquitted despite the many charges that had been filed against him.
“Disheartened but unsurprised as the Texas Senate, driven by the Extreme MAGA Texas GOP majority, chooses to acquit AG Ken Paxton,” said Rep. Garcia.