Government shutdown: The House fails to pass a short-term spending bill that would keep the government open for 30 days — until Oct. 31
The House of Representatives failed to advance its short-term government funding measure just a day before funding expires. The final vote was 232 to 198.
A large group of 21 conservatives in the House blocked the bill, a defeat for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and GOP leaders.
This GOP bill funds the government through October 31, 2023. It includes border provisions from the GOP’s Border Security Act (HR2), establishes a debt commission, and mandates approximately 30 percent cuts to government programs, in addition to the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, and Veterans Affairs.
House Republicans will meet in a conference session later this afternoon to find a path forward.
Congress must pass a spending bill by Saturday evening or the government will be shut down.
MORE: Fewer air traffic controllers, possible flight disruptions: What a government shutdown means for air traffic
This is a breaking news update.
Previously, a procedural vote was approved by 218 votes to 210, drawing Republican applause in the plenary session. The House debated the bill before voting on final passage, expected Friday. Further votes on the bill could be expected later on Friday.
Several Republicans — including Matt Rosendale, Matt Gaetz, Eli Crane, Dan Bishop and Tim Burchett — told ABC News they will later vote against the continuing resolution.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy early Friday morning hyped border security provisions that will be added to the stopgap measure to keep the government open through Oct. 31.
“Every member needs to put on the record where they stand,” McCarthy said at a news conference. “Are you ready to secure the border, or will you stand with President Biden for an open border and vote against a measure to keep the government open?”
The border provisions stem from key Republican legislation passed earlier this year, such as resuming border wall construction and tougher penalties for visa overstays.
The proposal also called for keeping government spending at lower levels while maintaining spending on veterans’ affairs and the military, which would result in drastic cuts to social spending programs and other areas of government.
But it still probably won’t be enough to appease Republican hardliners who had previously threatened to oust McCarthy as speaker over the spending battle. ABC News counts nearly 10 Republicans who will not vote for a continuing resolution.
Asked about hardliner opposition, McCarthy said: “We’ll see. I cannot understand why anyone would side with President Biden and keep the border open. We’ll see when the vote comes. If these people agree, you should ask them this question.
Gaetz, who has led the charge against McCarthy, criticized the short-term measure in a brief speech Friday morning as one that “weakens Republicans’ position on strong border policy.”
“I will vote against this continuing resolution,” Gaetz said.
Even if the House measure passes, it is not in line with the Senate’s bipartisan 45-day stopgap proposal, meaning passage is no guarantee that the government will run out of money over the weekend.
The White House Office of Management and Budget released a statement opposing the House’s short-term measure. The office said if the bill was on its desk, President Joe Biden would veto it.
“In a blatant violation of the funding agreement that the Speaker and the President reached just months ago, the bill jeopardizes the vital programs that Americans rely on by making reckless program cuts, regardless of the consequences for critical services Education to food security,” from law enforcement to housing to public health,” the statement said.
“The administration urges Republicans in the House of Representatives to follow the lead of the Senate and engage in a bipartisan appropriations process that responsibly funds the federal government, consistent with the bipartisan agreement earlier this year.”
