House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Averts Government Shutdown with Last-Minute Resolution

Washington, DC – With less than 24 hours to go before the federal government was due to run out of funding, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy put forward a continuing resolution to extend funding at 2023 levels for 45 days. This move came as a surprise to many, as McCarthy had been under pressure from far-right members of his party to reject the resolution. Democrats were also caught off-guard, with one member pulling a fire alarm in an attempt to buy more time to review the resolution.

In response to McCarthy’s decision, far-right Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida announced his intention to move to oust McCarthy from his leadership position. McCarthy defended his decision, saying, “If he’s upset because he tried to push us into a shutdown and I made sure government didn’t shut down, then let’s have that talk.”

The resolution was passed, but the question remains: how long will the government remain funded? McCarthy bypassed normal procedure in bringing the 45-day CR to the floor, so it required not a two-thirds majority, but a simple majority to pass. This means that the resolution could be overturned at any time, leaving the government vulnerable to another shutdown.

At the start of the day, it seemed unlikely that a shutdown could be avoided. However, McCarthy’s decision to rely on Democrats to pass the resolution ultimately saved the day. Despite the challenge from Gaetz, McCarthy remained confident, saying, “I’ll survive.” It remains to be seen if McCarthy will be able to keep his leadership position, but for now, the government remains funded.