US House to press forward with spending cuts despite shutdown risk
By Andy Sullivan and David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is due to try to advance steep spending cuts this week that stand no chance of becoming law and could force a partial shutdown of the U.S. government by next Sunday.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy sought to avoid that scenario when he hammered out a spending agreement with Democratic President Joe Biden this spring. But some members of his own party have threatened to depose him if he does not support steeper cuts that are sure to be rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be furloughed and a wide range of services, from financial oversight to medical research, will be suspended if Congress does not provide funding for the new fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
Congress typically misses that deadline and passes stopgap spending bills to avoid disruption while they finish their work.
But McCarthy has been unable so far to muster support for a temporary spending extension as a group of hardline Republicans have refused to go along. Republicans control the House by a narrow 221-212 majority and have few votes to spare.
McCarthy has put the stopgap bill on hold and instead will advance legislation that reflects conservative priorities.
When the House returns on Tuesday, lawmakers will take up four spending bills for the coming fiscal year that would impose new restrictions on abortion access, undo an $11 billion Biden administration climate initiative, and resume construction of the Mexico-U.S. border wall, a signature initiative of former President Donald Trump.
McCarthy said lawmakers who had blocked spending bills last week were now more willing to cooperate.
Read more on investing.com
