GOP Working on Second Stopgap
The Hill reports:
House GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says Republicans are preparing to move a second short-term funding measure to avert a potential government shutdown.
McCarthy told reporters Tuesday morning the Senate does not have enough time before the current stopgap funding measure expires March 18 to fully negotiate a long-term bill to fund government operations through September.
The current continuing resolution, or CR, cut $4 billion in spending from current levels.
“Republicans will be prepared in the House to do another two-, three- or four-week CR, but each time, we’re going to go at it taking more bites, making sure we have cuts out there that will make the economy stronger,” McCarthy said at a breakfast hosted by The Christian Science Monitor.
He said Republicans would be able to find additional cuts to move through the House.
McCarthy blamed Democrats for stalling negotiations on a long-term CR. Senate Democratic leaders have said that the House-passed version, cutting a total of $61 billion in spending, is a non-starter.
“Because of their lack of action and because the vice president starting negotiations and then leaving the country, what do we want to do, have a shutdown, are we going to wait until he comes back,” McCarthy asked.
President Obama tapped Vice President Biden as the White House point-man in negotiations with House Republicans. But Biden left for a week-long trip to eastern Europe and Russia on Monday.
An apparent agreement to hold test votes in the Senate on the competing plans fell apart Tuesday, with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) accusing Republican leaders Tuesday of backing out.
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