It’s that time of year, again: As a funding deadline fast approaches at the end of September, worries about a potential government shutdown are once more percolating in Washington, DC.
This year, those concerns are especially heightened given Republican control of the House, and the dissent within the GOP conference. Thus far, various factions — particularly conservatives — have issued threats about holding up government funding unless their demands over issues like a border wall, investigations into the Biden family, and Ukraine aid are met. Overall, the group of lawmakers putting funding in doubt is largely the same as those who previously said they’d reject a debt ceiling deal unless it contained significant annual spending cuts and reductions to social programs.
Currently, these members hold outsize power in the Republican conference since the GOP only has a narrow majority and can’t afford to lose more than a handful of votes. That margin could be further reduced due to upcoming absences. The Freedom Caucus — one of the key blocs with a hardline position on funding — keeps its membership private, but it’s believed to have roughly three dozen members and the ability to stymie bills if the bloc withholds its support.
As was the case with the debt ceiling, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy could try to build a coalition of House Republicans and Democrats in order to get the numbers he needs to pass the bill without conservatives, though attempting to do so would likely cost him future support. For now, Republican appetite for a shutdown is mixed since the party has historically been blamed when its members have caused them in 2019 and 2013.
[Related: Why does the US government shut down?]
The deadline to pass a funding bill is September 30, giving Congress just 11 working days to agree on a path forward. Both Democrats and Republicans have said they’ll try to advance a short-term funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, to keep the…
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