Column: What the Republicans forcing a government shutdown have in common with 1960s radicals
1 year, 2 months ago

Column: What the Republicans forcing a government shutdown have in common with 1960s radicals

LA Times  

This week, yet another government shutdown appears inevitable because a sizable chunk of the House Freedom Caucus believes, in the words of Tim Matheson in “Animal House,” that “this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.” What situation? When you’ve convinced yourself that the “system,” “establishment” or “regime” is irretrievably corrupt or some kind of existential enemy — a common conviction among numerous countercultures for millennia — any form of deal is seen as evidence that you’ve “sold out.” The only way to irrefutably demonstrate that you didn’t compromise your principles — whatever those might be — is to lose. It’s akin to declaring, “Do what I demand or I will repeatedly smash my hand with this hammer until you relent.” Or maybe it’s like 1960s student radicals occupying the Berkeley or Kenyon cafeteria demanding better library hours, more parking and a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam. On social media, he posted, “ UNLESS YOU GET EVERYTHING, SHUT IT DOWN!” Of course, Trump wants to use a government shutdown to “ defund ” the federal prosecutions against him and “other patriots.” Even if you thought this radical asininity were a great idea, the idea that it could make it through a Democratic-controlled Senate and past the president’s veto is a childish fantasy.

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History of this topic

Shutdown crisis reveals challenges for Speaker Johnson's leadership
Trending News
3 days, 1 hour ago

Shutdown crisis reveals challenges for Speaker Johnson's leadership

India Today  

WASHINGTON: One of the most turbulent sessions of Congress in the modern era is about to make way for the next one. “Ultimately, and let’s be honest, that’s going to be — a large portion of that — will be up to Donald J. Trump.” And yet, Johnson was able to buy time, convincing Trump he would meet the president-elect’s …

California holds the key to GOP power in the House. McCarthy’s retirement makes everything harder
1 year ago

California holds the key to GOP power in the House. McCarthy’s retirement makes everything harder

LA Times  

With Kevin McCarthy heading for the exits, his Republican colleagues are bracing for a falloff in campaign support and loss of granular institutional knowledge that could leave them at a disadvantage heading into next fall’s elections. The CLF and AAN raised a combined total of $16 million in the first 10 days of Johnson’s speakership.. Crenshaw said that major GOP …

House votes to prevent a government shutdown as GOP Speaker Johnson relies on Democrats for help
1 year, 1 month ago

House votes to prevent a government shutdown as GOP Speaker Johnson relies on Democrats for help

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to prevent a government shutdown after new Republican Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to reach across the aisle to Democrats when hard-right conservatives revolted against his plan. Johnson says the innovative approach would position House Republicans to “go into the fight” for deeper spending cuts in the new year, but many Republicans are …

Top US House Republican McCarthy vows to survive threat for avoiding shutdown
1 year, 2 months ago

Top US House Republican McCarthy vows to survive threat for avoiding shutdown

Live Mint  

Top US House Republican Kevin McCarthy expected to survive a threat to his speakership after a hardline critic within his party called for his ouster following the passage of a stopgap government funding bill that drew more support from Democrats than Republicans, he said on Saturday. Speaking to multiple US media outlets, Harline Republican Representative Matt Gaetz said he could …

Shutdown Averted. Now What?
1 year, 2 months ago

Shutdown Averted. Now What?

Bloomberg  

The first thing to know about the 11th-hour decision by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to agree to a deal to keep the government running through Nov. 17, is that it’s the most ordinary thing possible. That Republicans flailed around for weeks trying to do something else only revealed that sometimes, the obvious path is obvious for a reason. That complicated …

Threat of government shutdown ends as U.S. Congress passes a temporary funding plan and sends it to Biden
1 year, 2 months ago

Threat of government shutdown ends as U.S. Congress passes a temporary funding plan and sends it to Biden

The Hindu  

The threat of a federal government shutdown ended late Saturday, hours before a midnight deadline, as Congress approved a temporary funding bill to keep agencies open and sent the measure to President Joe Biden to sign. And we’re going to keep government open.” With no deal in place before Sunday, federal workers will face furloughs, more than 2 million active-duty …

Republicans reject own funding bill, US government shutdown imminent
1 year, 2 months ago

Republicans reject own funding bill, US government shutdown imminent

Firstpost  

In a 232-198 vote, the House defeated a measure that would extend government funding by 30 days and avert a shutdown. That bill would have slashed spending and restricted immigration, Republican priorities that had little chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate Hardline Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Friday rejected a bill proposed by their leader to temporarily …

Biden says it’s ‘good news’ the shutdown was averted but blames House GOP for ‘manufactured crisis’
1 year, 2 months ago

Biden says it’s ‘good news’ the shutdown was averted but blames House GOP for ‘manufactured crisis’

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Staring down a possible government shutdown, the White House wanted to make sure any blame would fall at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue — specifically on House Republicans. Asked on Friday if Biden should bear any responsibility for the potential shutdown, White House budget director Shalanda Young said “absolutely not” and accused Republicans of being cavalier with …

News Analysis: Kevin McCarthy avoided a government shutdown. But the fiasco shows he’s weaker than ever
1 year, 2 months ago

News Analysis: Kevin McCarthy avoided a government shutdown. But the fiasco shows he’s weaker than ever

LA Times  

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, talking to reporters Tuesday, had to rely on Democratic votes to pass Saturday’s bill that prevented a government shutdown. In a floor speech ahead of the Senate vote Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that his caucus will “remain committed to help our friends on the front line,” and that he was “confident the Senate …

Hard-Right Republicans Reject McCarthy's Last-Ditch Effort To Avert US Govt Shutdown
1 year, 2 months ago

Hard-Right Republicans Reject McCarthy's Last-Ditch Effort To Avert US Govt Shutdown

ABP News  

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's eleventh-hour attempt to temporarily avert a federal government shutdown collapsed on Friday, with hard-right Republican holdouts rejecting the proposed package. The proposal, which included deep spending cuts of nearly 30% for numerous agencies and stringent border security provisions, was deemed inadequate by the hard-right faction, as per AP's report. With just one day left before …

As McCarthy’s plan to keep the government open collapsed and time ran down, a shutdown looked all but certain
1 year, 2 months ago

As McCarthy’s plan to keep the government open collapsed and time ran down, a shutdown looked all but certain

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open collapsed in dramatic fashion Friday as a robust faction of hard-right holdouts rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain. Asked if he had the votes, McCarthy said, “We’ll see.” But as soon as the floor debate began, McCarthy’s chief Republican critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz …

The far right has been feuding with McCarthy for weeks. Here’s how it’s spiraling into a shutdown
1 year, 2 months ago

The far right has been feuding with McCarthy for weeks. Here’s how it’s spiraling into a shutdown

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — With little time left to prevent a government shutdown, the House is in a familiar position: effectively paralyzed as conservatives feud with Speaker Kevin McCarthy over matters large and small. And those two numbers are pretty far apart.” McCarthy’s allies have insisted the speaker has kept his word and is still fighting for the spending levels he promised …

McCarthy’s last-ditch plan to keep the government open collapses, making a shutdown almost certain
1 year, 2 months ago

McCarthy’s last-ditch plan to keep the government open collapses, making a shutdown almost certain

LA Times  

Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to the media about efforts to avert a looming government shutdown at the Capitol on Friday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy‘s last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open collapsed in dramatic fashion Friday as a robust faction of hard-right holdouts rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain. Asked if he had the votes, McCarthy …

Column: The GOP’s suicidal shutdown plan will murder America’s safety net
1 year, 2 months ago

Column: The GOP’s suicidal shutdown plan will murder America’s safety net

LA Times  

It’s all well and good to treat the House Republicans’ careening toward a government shutdown as a cabaret farce staged for our amusement. Even if the Republicans don’t provoke the shutdown currently likely to begin at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, the budget cuts House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he would support to meet the demands of his caucus’ far-right wing …

Congress says it wants to avoid a shutdown. But the House and Senate are moving even further apart
1 year, 2 months ago

Congress says it wants to avoid a shutdown. But the House and Senate are moving even further apart

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Congress is starkly divided over very different paths to preventing a federal shutdown — the Senate charging ahead with a bipartisan package to temporarily fund the government but the House slogging through a longshot effort with no real chance of finishing by Saturday’s deadline. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print …

With House Republicans in turmoil, colleagues implore GOP holdouts not to shut down government
1 year, 3 months ago

With House Republicans in turmoil, colleagues implore GOP holdouts not to shut down government

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Working furiously to take control of a House in disarray, allies of Speaker Kevin McCarthy implored their Republican colleagues Saturday to drop their hardline tactics and work together to approve a conservative spending plan to prevent a federal shutdown. In public overtures and private calls, Republican lieutenants of the embattled speaker pleaded with a handful of right-flank holdouts …

Speaker McCarthy is giving hard-right Republicans what they want. But it never seems to be enough.
1 year, 3 months ago

Speaker McCarthy is giving hard-right Republicans what they want. But it never seems to be enough.

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Staring down a fast-approaching government shutdown that threatens to disrupt life for millions of Americans, Speaker Kevin McCarthy has turned to a strategy that so far has preserved his tenuous hold on House leadership but also marked it by chaos: giving hard-right lawmakers what they want. “Because shutting down — and having border agents not be paid, your …

McCarthy is giving hard-right Republicans what they want. But it never seems to be enough
1 year, 3 months ago

McCarthy is giving hard-right Republicans what they want. But it never seems to be enough

LA Times  

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s strategy has preserved his tenuous hold on his post, but has also marked it by chaos — including a fast-approaching government shutdown that threatens to disrupt life for millions of Americans. “Because shutting down — and having border agents not be paid, your Coast Guard not get paid — I don’t see how that’s good.” Governing …

Hard-right Republicans push closer to a disruptive federal shutdown
1 year, 3 months ago

Hard-right Republicans push closer to a disruptive federal shutdown

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — With House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s latest funding plan in ruins and lawmakers leaving town for the weekend, there’s no endgame in sight as hard-right Republicans push dangerously closer to a disruptive federal shutdown. “We need the extreme MAGA Republicans to get their act together,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, referring to Trump’s “Make America …

McCarthy says there’s still time to prevent a government shutdown as others look at options
1 year, 3 months ago

McCarthy says there’s still time to prevent a government shutdown as others look at options

LA Times  

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy leaves the chamber. With no clear strategy, no sure support and not much time left to prevent a government shutdown, Speaker Kevin McCarthy nevertheless vowed on Wednesday he would not give up trying to convince his colleagues to pass a temporary funding bill through the House. The hard-right bill, with steep 8% cuts to …

Speaker McCarthy faces an almost impossible task trying to unite House GOP and fund the government
1 year, 3 months ago

Speaker McCarthy faces an almost impossible task trying to unite House GOP and fund the government

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Facing fresh challenges to his leadership, Speaker Kevin McCarthy is trying to accomplish what at times seems impossible — working furiously to convince House Republicans to come together and pass a conservative bill to keep the federal government open. Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., one of the negotiators for the Main Street group, urged her colleagues later to not …

Speaker McCarthy is running out of options to stop a shutdown as conservatives balk at a new plan
1 year, 3 months ago

Speaker McCarthy is running out of options to stop a shutdown as conservatives balk at a new plan

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Speaker Kevin McCarthy was running out of options Monday as he pushed ahead with a plan to keep the federal government from shutting down, but even including hardline border security provisions wasn’t enough to appease the far-right flank in his Republican House majority. Leadership, as well as members of some of the so-called “five families” — the various …

Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans will own this shutdown
1 year, 3 months ago

Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans will own this shutdown

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Back in …

Opinion: Watch as Kevin McCarthy puts on 'impeachment theater' while the government teeters
1 year, 3 months ago

Opinion: Watch as Kevin McCarthy puts on 'impeachment theater' while the government teeters

LA Times  

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy holds a news conference at the Capitol in Washington as the House prepares to leave for its August recess. Last spring House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rightly got props from folks across the political spectrum, myself included, for compromising with President Biden to raise the nation’s debt limit and thereby avert economic armageddon. As Florida Man Rep. …

Members of Congress break for August with no clear path to avoiding a shutdown this fall
1 year, 4 months ago

Members of Congress break for August with no clear path to avoiding a shutdown this fall

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers broke for their August recess this week with work on funding the government largely incomplete, fueling worries about whether Congress will be able to avoid a partial government shutdown this fall. “We should not fear a government shutdown,” said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va. “Most of the American people won’t even miss if the government is shut down …

GOP accused of breaking debt ceiling deal and 'threatening a government shutdown'
1 year, 6 months ago

GOP accused of breaking debt ceiling deal and 'threatening a government shutdown'

Raw Story  

The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee accused her Republican colleagues on Thursday of increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown by approving spending numbers below the levels set under the bipartisan debt ceiling agreement, which hasn't even been law for two weeks. In an appearance on CNN, Rep. Rosa DeLauro said House Republicans have already "walked away from …

Hard-line conservatives demand concessions from House Speaker McCarthy in debt-ceiling standoff
1 year, 6 months ago

Hard-line conservatives demand concessions from House Speaker McCarthy in debt-ceiling standoff

Hindustan Times  

Hard-line conservatives angered by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt-ceiling deal are demanding power-sharing and budget-cutting concessions from him in exchange for allowing legislation to move on the House floor. U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/ In agreeing Monday to temporarily lift a nearly week-long blockade of the …

McCarthy proved he’s a stronger House speaker than many expected. But GOP is split over cutting government
1 year, 6 months ago

McCarthy proved he’s a stronger House speaker than many expected. But GOP is split over cutting government

LA Times  

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leaves the chamber Wednesday after winning a crucial procedural vote on the debt ceiling and budget package he negotiated with President Biden. A win, but with limits By parceling out significant authority to each of the major factions in the House majority — the “five families,” as Republicans have taken to calling them — McCarthy gave …

House approves bipartisan deal to suspend debt limit, reducing fear of U.S. default
1 year, 6 months ago

House approves bipartisan deal to suspend debt limit, reducing fear of U.S. default

LA Times  

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leaves the chamber after passage of a crucial procedural vote on the debt ceiling and budget cuts package he negotiated with President Biden. “Democrats voting for the rule because he couldn’t get the vote for the rule.” In a rare demonstration of their differences on policy, the three House Democrats vying to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein …

McCarthy's Republicans push debt ceiling talks to brink, lawmakers leaving town for weekend
1 year, 6 months ago

McCarthy's Republicans push debt ceiling talks to brink, lawmakers leaving town for weekend

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A defiant House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the debt ceiling standoff was “not my …

Column: When Kevin McCarthy’s spending cuts get spelled out, even Republicans balk
1 year, 7 months ago

Column: When Kevin McCarthy’s spending cuts get spelled out, even Republicans balk

LA Times  

Whether you’re for the demand by House Republicans for deep spending cuts as a condition for raising the nation’s debt ceiling or you’re against it, there are some things you should know in assessing their gambit. Perhaps the single most important fact is this: While Speaker Kevin McCarthy likes to claim that his debt limit bill would break Democrats’ “addiction …

Debt limit talks seem to make little headway as Biden, world leaders watch from afar for progress
1 year, 7 months ago

Debt limit talks seem to make little headway as Biden, world leaders watch from afar for progress

LA Times  

President Biden, attending the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Saturday, says he believes “we’ll be able to avoid a default and we’ll get something decent done.” Debt limit talks between the White House and House Republicans stopped, started and stopped again heading into the weekend, as President Biden and other world leaders watched from afar, hoping high-stakes negotiations would …

Debt options abound, but can Biden, McCarthy strike a deal?
1 year, 7 months ago

Debt options abound, but can Biden, McCarthy strike a deal?

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The White House and Congress could strike a deal to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for budget cuts. As President Joe Biden meets Tuesday with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders for the first time over the debt ceiling crisis, the options for easing out of the standoff are many. More likely, Democratic president Biden …

House Republicans pass US debt bill, push Biden on spending
1 year, 7 months ago

House Republicans pass US debt bill, push Biden on spending

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — House Republicans narrowly passed sweeping legislation Wednesday that would raise the government’s legal debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep spending restrictions, a tactical victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the Freedom Caucus, said …

US House Speaker McCarthy wants compromise on debt ceiling, cuts from Biden
1 year, 10 months ago

US House Speaker McCarthy wants compromise on debt ceiling, cuts from Biden

Live Mint  

Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called on Democratic President Joe Biden to agree to compromises and spending cuts, as the two remain deadlocked over raising the nation's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling. The White House has said Biden will discuss federal spending cuts with Republicans, but only after the debt ceiling is lifted, while McCarthy has said Republicans will only …

Column: On the debt-ceiling crisis, take it from moderate Republicans: Be afraid, be very afraid
1 year, 10 months ago

Column: On the debt-ceiling crisis, take it from moderate Republicans: Be afraid, be very afraid

LA Times  

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy knows better, but he is cynically engaging in radical, misleading brinksmanship over the debt ceiling limit. As one of the Concerned told me, “The base wants to blow everything up.” Given Republicans’ narrow House majority, just a few radicals can block any legislation that Leader-in-Name-Only Kevin McCarthy ultimately might agree to. Even as they call for …

Debt ceiling: 2011 showdown leaves lessons for Biden, GOP
1 year, 11 months ago

Debt ceiling: 2011 showdown leaves lessons for Biden, GOP

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The debate around raising the debt ceiling sounds eerily similar: Newly elected House Republicans, eager to confront the Democratic president in the White House, refused to raise the debt limit without cuts to federal spending. Negotiations over the debt ceiling consumed Washington in 2011, a high-stakes showdown between the Obama White House and the new generation of “tea …

How will US Republicans manage the House over the next two years?
1 year, 11 months ago

How will US Republicans manage the House over the next two years?

Al Jazeera  

Kevin McCarthy won the role of speaker of the House of Representatives in the US after 15 rounds of voting. For the first time in more than 100 years, the United States was unable to elect a speaker of the House of Representatives in the first round of voting. Kevin McCarthy had to make several concessions to win over hardline …

Editorial: A disastrous, embarrassing first day for the GOP-controlled House
1 year, 11 months ago

Editorial: A disastrous, embarrassing first day for the GOP-controlled House

LA Times  

Rep. Kevin McCarthy speaks with reporters as he departs from a GOP caucus meeting in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 3. In a dramatic repudiation by colleagues, Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to secure election as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after three votes on Tuesday. The Bakersfield Republican could still prevail when voting resumes, but win or …

US midterm elections: Republicans take control of House
2 years, 1 month ago

US midterm elections: Republicans take control of House

Al Jazeera  

Although election ‘red wave’ did not happen, GOP flipped enough seats to win slim majority in House of Representatives. The Associated Press declared Republican Mike Garcia the winner in California’s 27th congressional district Wednesday, giving the GOP 218 seats, the threshold for the majority needed to take over the lower chamber of Congress. Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will likely …

What awaits Kevin McCarthy if Republicans win: ‘This is an almost impossible task
2 years, 1 month ago

What awaits Kevin McCarthy if Republicans win: ‘This is an almost impossible task

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “You can largely throw any type …

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