The U.S. House of Representatives returns this week for an expected political brawl over spending cuts and impeachment that could paralyze the Republican-controlled chamber, as Congress struggles to avoid a government shutdown.

The House and the Democratic-controlled Senate are due to be in session for about 12 days before funding expires on Sept. 30, leaving little time to agree on a package of 12 appropriations bills that can pass each chamber and win Democratic President Joe Biden’s signature.

The main bone of contention among House Republicans is a demand by roughly three-dozen members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus to cut spending for fiscal 2024 to $1.47 trillion – about $120 billion less than Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed in May.

The White House and Senate leaders – including top Republican Mitch McConnell – have rejected that demand.

That dispute and other hardline demands, including opposition to Ukraine aid and calls for an impeachment inquiry against Biden, could imperil efforts to pass a short-term stopgap, known as a continuing resolution or “CR,” which would keep federal agencies afloat while lawmakers debate full-scale appropriations.

  • Rhaedas
    13•10 months ago

    The only thing that helps this headline stand out from so many “uh no, shutdown” headlines of the past is the included impeachment part. The shutdown will be used to its fullest drama potential just like before until the very end with some compromise, and the impeachment as well.

    Is this impeachment about Hunter Biden, or have they moved on from that nonsense? Oh, it’s about Joe Biden. Well, let’s see what evidence you have to work with and…oh, you don’t have any yet? That’s kind of necessary, guys.

    • Hot SaucermanEnglish
      12•10 months ago

      oh, you don’t have any [evidence] yet? That’s kind of necessary, guys.

      Conservatives: Is it, though? I don’t need proof to know God exists…

      These people live and breathe a false reality of a hierarchy that starts with God, who famously refuses to prove he exists, because otherwise people wouldn’t have “faith” and for some reason God really needs you to trust him without any evidence, and if you don’t… you’re going to Hell to burn for eternity.

      Huh, sounds a lot like the abusive demands of the conservatives. I wonder where they learned to be like that.

      It was, and always has been, a cult of purposeful ignorance.

      • @KoboldCoterieEnglish
        7•10 months ago

        You’ll never convince me that they actually believe in God. If they did, they’d have to face the fact that the Bible disagrees with most of what they do. I think they just use their rhetoric about God as a means to an end, to capture the Christian voting bloc.