House Republicans release short-term bill to avert government shutdown until Oct. 31
House Republicans reached a tentative agreement to temporarily prevent a government shutdown with spending cuts and conservative immigration measures.
WASHINGTON — 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.
McCarthy dares GOP detractors to remove him at closed-door meetingSept. 15, 202304:54The 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.
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