Staff Reports
In a surprising move, Speaker Kevin McCarthy has given in to the demands of Representative Matt Gaetz, as the House of Representatives will now vote on individual appropriations bills instead of a continuing resolution as a temporary measure. Gaetz, along with other Republicans, expressed their support for this direction after meeting with McCarthy.
According to NBC News political analyst Jake Sherman, Gaetz stated that he wants to pause consideration of the Pentagon spending bill and focus on bills that cut spending in areas such as State-Foreign Ops, Agriculture, Energy, and Water. Sherman noted that Gaetz seemed more productive than usual, which is quite a commendation for him.
The strategy now is clear – the Republicans plan to bring up individual appropriations bills next week. This change comes after five Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the defense appropriations bill, leading to its failure. These five conservatives pushed for more spending cuts.
Gaetz informed his conference that seven Republicans would vote against any continuing resolution to keep the government open. This means that McCarthy may have to work with Democrats to pass a stop-gap measure, which could put McCarthy’s job in jeopardy, as Gaetz warned.
The Republicans currently have a 221-212 majority in the House, with 217 votes needed for legislation to pass. However, three Republican members are unavailable due to medical reasons, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who is undergoing cancer treatment.
Earlier, the leaders of the House Freedom Caucus and the Main Street Caucus attempted to draft a resolution that would have extended government spending until October 31. The measure would have required an 8 percent cut to discretionary spending, excluding the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. It would have also included the GOP’s border security legislation. However, a dozen Republican members opposed this measure.
Gaetz, always vocal on social media, posted a message stating that Trump opposes the continuing resolution and urged Republicans to hold the line. He shared a post from President Donald Trump on Truth Social, calling for Republicans to use their power of the purse to counter Joe Biden’s “weaponized Government.”
The US is currently facing a massive deficit of over $2 trillion for fiscal year 2023 and a national debt of $33 trillion. The interest payments on the debt have risen by 30 percent compared to 2022, reaching $644 billion. This amount is close to the spending on national defense, which is $692 billion. The current deficit is heavily burdened by interest payments on past spending.
Gaetz just told his conference that seven Rs would vote against any CR to keep goverment open.
That means McCarthy may have to work with Dems to pass a stop-gap
If he does, Gaetz tells me here that McCarthy will be out of a job “promptly.”
Roy says it would “not be a good move” pic.twitter.com/Ydrjzs2rHz— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 20, 2023
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reported that spending has increased by 9 percent ($534 billion) from the previous year, mainly due to the new programs initiated by the Democrats under the Biden administration.
Gaetz’s persistence in demanding spending cuts from McCarthy seems to be yielding results. It remains to be seen how this decision will play out and if it will lead to a more fiscally responsible government.
