A group of hard-right lawmakers within the Republican Party have declared that they will not vote for any stopgap measure to fund the government, even temporarily, with a single up-or-down vote. This opposition poses a challenge for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who must avoid a government shutdown on Sunday. If all members are present and vote, McCarthy can only afford to lose four Republican votes, and turning to Democrats would jeopardize his speakership. As a result, these lawmakers have effectively closed off McCarthy’s simplest escape hatch.
One of the most vocal opponents of the continuing resolution (C.R.) is Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida. He has called for an end to the use of C.R.s and argues that the House should pass individual spending bills instead. Another opponent is Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee, who compared a vote in favor of a stopgap measure to feeding a drug addiction and criticized his Republican colleagues for supporting what he sees as Democratic spending priorities. Meanwhile, Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has been actively opposing the C.R. on social media and prefers individual spending bills. This group of Republicans, which also includes Eli Crane of Arizona, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Wesley Hunt of Texas, and Cory Mills of Florida, is prepared to fight against any temporary funding bills and press for the consideration of individual spending measures.
Despite Senate Republicans proposing an interim funding plan, some lawmakers, like Andy Biggs, are open to considering it, while others, like Cory Mills, have expressed frustration with certain elements of the proposal. Overall, these hard-right Republicans are united in their opposition to the continuing resolution and have called for a different approach to government funding, prioritizing individual spending bills and breaking the cycle of stopgap measures. Their uncompromising stance poses a challenge for McCarthy and complicates the ongoing budget negotiations.