The hard-liners are toying with McCarthy just because they can

We’ll get to the end of the federal government’s fiscal year in about eight days. If spending bills are not passed by then the government will shut down. So there are a lot of events leading up to that deadline, most of them increasing the chance of a shutdown. On Wednesday Kerry Eleveld of Daily Kos reported that Speaker McCarthy put a question before the House to begin debate on the defense spending bill. This bill was loaded up with all sorts of conservative goodies, such as limiting abortion access, that won’t pass the Senate. It failed. I’ll say that again – a defense bill, one that routinely gets passed with high approval from both parties, failed. All Democrats voted against it because of those poison pills and five Republicans also voted no. The Putin wing of the Republican Party is cheering. As is Putin. Also on Wednesday Joan McCarter of Kos discussed how a shutdown could affect ordinary citizens. She also reported a tweet from Rep. Andy Ogles who listed the things that will remain open – Medicare and the military among others – and adds “Less government isn’t a bad thing.” McCarter concluded:

What Ogles isn’t telling us is that he’ll still be getting paid, with our tax dollars. The silver lining is that he’ll also be getting the blame.

Ogles also isn’t telling us who is hurt by a shutdown. In addition to the federal employees going without a paycheck there are a lot people who depend on help from the government – people Ogles doesn’t want helped. So from his point of view a shutdown is a good thing. On Thursday McCarter reported that, unlike the debt ceiling crisis, Schumer and Biden are letting McCarthy blunder into a shutdown all on his own. Part of it is a shutdown is a lot less catastrophic than a debt default. And part of it is at the debt crisis Biden cut an agreement with McCarthy. And McCarthy, facing pressure from the far right, reneged on the deal. So instead Biden is making sure people know why there is a shutdown – it’s McCarthy and the far right – and who would be hurt by the budget cuts the far right is demanding. McCarter also reported that Ukrainian president Zelenskyy was in Washington yesterday. He met with the House leadership and then had a briefing in the Senate. McCarthy refused the opportunity for Zelenskyy to address a joint session of Congress. He also demanded of Zelenskyy, “What’s the plan for victory?” McCarter noted Zelenskyy could ask McCarthy the same question about getting funding bills – including funding for Ukraine’s war – passed. McCarter reported that McCarthy put the question of beginning debate on the defense spending bill up for a vote. It failed. Again. This time six Republicans voted against it. McCarter included a tweet from Erik Wasson that said when Pelosi was speaker she never lost a procedural vote. That’s because she knew she had those votes before she put a question up for a vote. And no procedural vote lost in the last 20 years. McCarter concluded:

At this point, the hard-liners are toying with McCarthy just because they can. Unless he gets wise—and soon—a government shutdown is inevitable. It’s all they will allow. McCarthy’s only option to stop them is to work with Democrats.

The far right has told McCarthy that if he works with Democrats they will call for his removal as speaker. Of course, Democrats will have their own demands. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference and said don’t look to Democrats to pay the ransom note. Jeffries spelled out a little history. Twice in the 1990s, then again in 2013 and 2018 the Republicans shut down the government because they wanted to shove their ideology down the throats of the American people. Democrats held firm and reopened the government. And they wait to do it again. Late on Thursday McCarter posted again. She’s now titling these reports as Shutdown Watch. After two failed votes in as many days many Republicans left town for an extra long weekend. Most correctly concluded they will miss nothing. Since they will observe Yom Kippur on Monday the next day of session is Tuesday – only five days before the shutdown. It appears McCarthy essentially handed the gavel to chief chaos agent Rep. Matt Gaetz. He proposed scrapping the stopgap spending bill to extend the deadline and instead bring up each of 11 spending bills. Which means starting negotiations with the Senate all over again. Which can’t happen within the week remaining. Which means a shutdown is almost guaranteed. Walter Einenkel of Kos reported Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota filed a bill titled, “My Constituents Cannot Afford Rebellious Tantrums, Handle Your Shutdown Act.” Also known as the “MCCARTHY Shutdown Act,” the bill would dock Congress members’ paychecks—one day’s pay for every day the government is shut down. I love the sentiment and the symbolism it represents. But, yeah, it’s not going anywhere. Not in this House. I hope when Democrats regain control they do pass it.