House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries referred to as on House Republicans to help the Senate’s short-term spending invoice as a approach to avert a authorities shutdown Saturday.
“We have a bipartisan bill right now working its way through the United States Senate. It will pass in a strongly bipartisan way,” he stated Thursday.
“They will then send that bill to the House of Representatives. Extreme MAGA Republicans face a clear choice: Put the bipartisan continuing resolution on the floor of the house for an up or down vote. And we can avoid the extreme MAGA Republican shutdown.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday doubled down on calls for that Democrats settle for border safety as a part of a stopgap spending invoice to keep away from a authorities shutdown this weekend.
He stated President Biden ought to come to the negotiating desk to speak about Republicans’ plans to shut the border and maintain the federal government open, not vice versa.
“So why am I asking the president to sit down? Because the Senate has not done their job,” stated Mr. McCarthy, California Republican. “The Senate has not taken up the House’s work, so no, the president should step in and do something about it. Otherwise, the government will shut down.”
SEE ALSO: Divided House has no clear stopgap invoice as shutdown looms
Mr. Jeffries shot again that Democrats won’t assist Republicans cross a seamless decision with any partisan coverage amendments.
“These are partisan political games that they’re playing,” Mr. Jeffries stated. “The continuing resolution in the Senate didn’t have any of that nonsense — no partisan policy amendments that aren’t designed to promote the health, safety and well-being of the American people.”
The New York Democrat additionally dangled his caucus’ discharge petition earlier than Republicans as an choice to keep away from a authorities shutdown.
A discharge petition is a procedural technique that almost all of the decrease chamber can use to bypass the speaker and power a ground vote on a invoice.
Democrats have already got one centered on quickly funding the federal government with 213 signatures from their caucus, they usually want solely 5 Republicans to deliver the measure to the ground.
Reps. Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, each New York Republicans representing Biden-won 2020 districts, and Rep. Don Bacon, Nebraska Republican, have all expressed curiosity in supporting this provision.
However, Mr. Jeffries questions whether or not any GOP lawmaker is critical about doing that.
“There is zero evidence that Mike Lawler or any of the so-called moderate Republicans in New York or anywhere else throughout this nation are willing to work with House Democrats to end this extreme MAGA Republican shutdown crisis,” he stated.
Supporters of the discharge petition face an uphill battle. The measure gained’t make it to the ground earlier than Saturday’s deadline.
Even after a discharge petition meets the 218 signature threshold, House guidelines require a seven-day legislative ready interval earlier than a lawmaker can advance it.
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