The world The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, failed to get through a defense budget proposal. A handful of rebels on the party’s right wing are creating major problems for him. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / AP / NTB Read more Close
NTB
21 Sep 2023 22:33 – Updated 21 Sep 2023 22:33
The Republican leader in the House of Representatives is unable to muster enough support for proposals that will keep the wheels turning in the US public sector in the coming weeks.
A shutdown of public business moves closer in the United States. The deadline for getting a budget in place expires on 30 September.
Kevin McCarthy on Thursday tried to get a majority for a proposed defense budget as a first step, which usually tends to be relatively unproblematic in Washington. However, a test vote ended with the proposal being voted down by 212 to 216 votes, when a small group of Republican breakaways voted no along with the Democrats.
McCarthy’s strategy was to make concessions to the hard right wing of the party, but it did not work. The news agency AP refers to the outcome as “a crushing defeat that makes a shutdown of the public services almost certain”.
It is the third time McCarthy has failed to pass the defense budget, and several observers are now questioning how long the Republican can continue as leader of the House of Representatives.
– This is a completely new concept, with people who just want to burn everything to the ground, McCarthy said after the vote. He clearly expressed his frustration.
– This won’t work, he said.
2023-09-21 20:33:20
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